Somalia Issues arrest warrants for 18 officials, including former, current Immigration Directors

Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-Somalia has issued a warrant arrest for 18 top government officials in relation to the 21 million dollars scandal following a thorough forensic investigations conducted by the Office of the Auditor General.

On Thursday, the Attorney General of Somalia, Suleyman Mohamed Mohamud, revealed the names the senior government officials implicated in corruption allegations. Among the accused officials are the former Director of Immigration Agency, Dr. Mohamed Adan Jimale ‘Koofi, and his successor, Abdukadir Elmi Ali Abdul. These directors are believed to be among the individuals who have fled the country.

“After concluding the investigations that commenced in April, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Office of the Attorney General have submitted 18 names to the country’s top court for prosecution,” the Attorney General stated.

“They will be charged with corruption, forgery, and embezzlement of public funds, which are serious violations of our laws,” he added.

He further stated that nine officials have been apprehended, while the rest have fled the country. The majority of the accused individuals are government employees serving in the finance, labor, and revenue departments.

The Attorney General reiterated the Auditor General’s statement from Wednesday, emphasizing that there is a possibility of potential suspects being implicated in this case as the investigations progress.

In a separate development, Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Elmi Mohamud Nur, took immediate action by suspending two Director Generals over corruption allegations. The Accountant General, Mohamed Abdirahman Anas, and the Director General of Revenue, Feysal Mohamed Hashi, have been accused of engaging in serious crimes, including the shutdown of the SFMIS system, which resulted in significant delays in salary disbursements.

These actions represent Somalia’s ongoing efforts to combat corruption, revitalize government institutions, and promote transparency. While the number of government officials implicated in corruption cases is increasing, Somalia’s anti-corruption committee remain disbanded. Nevertheless, the government has implemented various strategies to track, record, calculate, and document government income, thereby making significant strides in reducing corruption.