HARGEISA — A court in Hargeisa has convicted three government officials and two civilians accused of mismanaging food aid donate by Oman on Sunday, giving them 1-8 years in prison term.
During a closed door session, the director of public prosecutions read the court’s verdict and said all five men were guilty of corruption. The court handed down prison terms between one year and eight years. The former governor of Maroodi Jeeh region Ahmed Omar Haji Abdullahi and Ahmed Elmi Bare, former director general in the Ministry of Resettlement, were both given three years imprisonment term.
The former advisor to Vice President Osman Saeed Jama was handed down a one year jail term and was ordered to recover three million Somaliland shilling.
Abdishakur Abdinor, a local businessman, was given four years behind bars for his role in the embezzlement. Ibrahim Omar Mohamud, the director general of Somaliland Welfare Association (SWA), a non-profit agency who was to distribute the food aid, was given the maximum term of eight years.
The court handed sentences ranging from one year to eight years to three others who were absent during the session. Two accused of involvement of the mismanagement were acquitted while two others saw their trials being postponed for another scheduled court session.
Mr. Mohamed salah the defense lawyer presenting the defendants said the courts verdict was unfair and that he will file an appeal in the coming days.
The defendants were charged with taking 2,500 bags of rice and 400 cartons of beans which was part of a 1,000-metric-ton food shipment donated by Oman that also included clothes.
The suspects are accused of re-routing the food to a private warehouse to be distributed for personal gains including profiteering.
by Goth M Goth
Somalilandpress
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
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