The Somali Attorney General’s Office brought five government officials before the Banadir Regional Court for charges of corruption, forgery, and abuse of government power on Thursday.
The accused individuals from various government offices, such as the Accountant General, Ministry of Finance, Immigration and Nationality Agency, and Central Bank, worked at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu.
The office claims that the charges against these civil servant members are just the beginning of a larger network of individuals involved in falsifying government collection books, embezzling money and public property, and using fake documents.
The Banadir Regional Court has ordered the five accused individuals to be remanded to prison as authorities investigate further.
The Somali Attorney General’s Office did not release the names of the defendants.
It is the first time government officials have been arrested for corruption during President Mohamud’s administration which came to power last year.
However, during former President Farmaajo’s government term in 2020, the regional court in Mogadishu sentenced four senior Health Ministry officials to up to 18 years in prison for corruption and theft of public money.
Among the group sentenced was Abdullahi Hashi Ali, the director-general of the Health Ministry, who received nine years in prison and a $2,366 fine.
