By Dawan Africa - Reporter
Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-The Office of the Attorney General of Somalia appealed the judgment made by the Benadir Regional Court last Thursday against government officials involved in corruption cases.
In a statement on Sunday, the Office of the Attorney General announced that it has completed the process of filing an appeal.
“The Office of the Attorney General has filed an appeal in accordance with articles 210, 212, 213, 216, and 227 of the XHCS against the judgments with reference numbers MGB/D-DL/10442023 and MGB/DDL/938/2023, both dated 28/09/2023, from the Banadir Regional Court,” as stated by the National Prosecutor’s Office.
The statement added that the Attorney’s Office is not satisfied with the court's judgment against government officials accused of stealing public money, falsification of government documents, abuse of public office, and bribery.
The Banadir Regional Court issued a verdict on a corruption case involving 11 officials from the Ministries of Finance, Labour, Immigration Agency, and the Central Bank last Thursday.
The court found 6 out of the 11 individuals guilty of various offences, while five were acquitted and released.
Abdullahi Mohamed Osoble, Departmental Director at the Immigration Agency, and his deputy, Omar Maalim Noor Ali, will each serve one year in prison.
Sabir Hassan Abdinoor, the head of the Visa Extension Department at the Immigration Agency, has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Abubakar Mohamed Ali, the Tax Manager for the Ministry of Finance attached to the airport, and Mohamed Aden Abdullahi, the Central Bank Manager at the airport, will each serve an eight-year jail term, while Abdirahman Abdikarim, the Head of the Labor Ministry's section, will serve a nine-year sentence.
The court also acquitted and released Adan Mohamed Abdi, Abdiwahid Muhsin Ibrahim, Abdullahi Mohamed Ali, Mohamed Adde Mukhtar, and Abdikadir Abdi Socdal, all of whom held positions at different ministries and agencies after their innocence was proved.
But the accused officials still remain in prison after the court's decision Thursday as top Government officials are not satisfied with the court rulings.
