January 11,2017
Police arrested twenty eight businessmen and government authorities on alleged corruption charges. State media,in a facebook update, cited Federal Police Commission to report that the suspects are arrested in relation with 1.5 billion Ethiopian Birr loss to government – apparently in revenue.
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The report didn’t name names but four of the businessmen are said to be Ethiopian investors with legal license for coffee trade and have been in the business for many many years.
READ MORE : regime claims 125 people arrested over corruption
Some of the suspects are authorities in quality control and marketing department of Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority.
The suspects are arrested for alleged corruption crimes committed between 2008 and 2015 ( 2000-2007 Ethiopian calendar)
READ MORE : Custom authorities and importer arrested on alleged corruption charges
Three of the suspects are described as”professionals” within Ethiopian Coffee and Tea authority.
It is to be recalled that government arrested 125 people sometime in the last week of December in relation to corruption within Addis Ababa City Administration that led to illegal transfer of land and loss of revenue to the city administration.
So far none of the arrested on corruption charges since last month appeared before court and their identities is not revealed to the public which is giving rise skepticism that the regime is just playing political tricks.
As part of the pledge to what the regime called “in-depth revival”, a political rhetoric that emerged after the popular movement across Ethiopia, government claimed that it tasked itself to get ride of corrupt government officials and fight corruption.
Skepticism on the part of the public partly emanates from the belief that it is unlikely for any government officials to be free from corruption in a system that is based on corruption. In fact it is is high ranking officials of the dominant Tigray People’s Liberation Front that are believed to be mired in grand corruption in multiple forms and not a single one of them is behind bar on corruption charges so far.
borkena
Strange news on the arrest of currepted officials and middlemen in Ethiopia. But I heard that it is only political drama and there no case of punishing those arrested. The curreption in Ethiopia is open secret from top to bottom at govt level because all the top level official positions and political positions are nomiated positions only which is against to the principle of democracy.
When I worked in Maddawalabu University I found huge curreption in construction, practical and office equipment and library books.during 2012 some dramatic arrest was made and after some time they released them. Same in the case of Ambo University during 2015. I found huge library buildings and laboratories without books and equipment. I heard the same scenario in almost all Universities.
There is no strict financial and performsnce audtting and punishments forr the currepted. Every common citizen in Ethiopia say same thing and it is a major setback for the development of Ethiopia.
I heard that there was great fear to do curreption during Derge period and absolutely no fear for curreption today in Ethiopia.
If any one question that what happened to several hundred billion USD International funds in last two decades and inspite why more than 70% of Ethiopeans are below poverty line still today and why International community blindly giving funds without questioning tbis.
Prof PCS REDDY ECONOMIST INDIA – +91-8790471108