Thursday June 22, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somalia's Attorney General's Office filed charges against two officials from the Ministry of Information and a presidential guard officer on Thursday. These individuals face allegations of public property embezzlement, with the prosecution requesting the court to postpone the case hearing to begin the trial proceedings.
The Somali prosecutor's office has become more assertive in tackling corruption cases following a presidential decree issued earlier this year. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs director is among those arrested on corruption charges. Similarly, the officer in charge of the police force was detained on corruption charges just a day earlier.
This crackdown on corruption stems from an influx of corruption reports within various government agencies. These reports threaten international support for the Somali government and the ongoing debt relief plan. An audit report released a few days ago revealed that the central treasury of the Somali government fell short of an income of 21 million dollars between March 8, 2018, and April 19, 2023.
The report also implicated the Ministries of Labor and Social Affairs, Education and Citizenship, and offices in charge of income collection, accounting, and income filing.