May 16, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Ethiopian intelligence service facilitated the escape of the brother of former President Omer al-Bashir to Turkey where he arrived through Addis Ababa.
- Al-Abbas Hassan AHmed al-Bashir (file photo)
Last week the spokesperson of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) Shams al-Din Kabbashi admitted that al-Abbas Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir fled the country and apologized for saying he was in prison with his brother.
Kabbashi pointed out that he left the country with the help of a neighbouring country without providing further details on the matter.
Assayha newspaper which was close to the former regime reported on Thursday that al-Abbas left Khartoum on the second day of the military takeover on 12 April and crossed into Ethiopia through Gadaref.
However, when his bus left the last security checkpoint in Alhumra, the Sudanese authorities realised the presence of the wanted passenger in the bus and reached out the Ethiopian side asking them to return him back.
According to the newspaper, the Ethiopian side immediately agreed to arrest him and extradite him to Sudan in line with a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
Nonetheless, on 13 April, the Ethiopian authorities transported al-Abbas to Addis Ababa in a private vehicle where he spent a week hosted by the Ethiopian intelligence service before to take a plane to Istanbul.
Al-Abbas had no political activities in the country but was known for his links with many investment and business companies and he was suspected of corruption and widespread use of influence in facilitating transactions.
It was not clear why the Ethiopian authorities facilitated the departure of the fugitive to Turkey.
It worth mentioning that al-Bashir’s second espouse, Widad Babikir who is also suspected of corruption reportedly left the country through South Sudan.
The former President himself who is in jail is facing charges of money laundering as millions of foreign currency was found in his house besides 315 million Saudi riyals in a commercial bank account in Khartoum.
(ST)
