Prosecutors file 16 cumulative charges against former Ministry of Labor and Skills officials following an investigation into a 1.13 billion Birr financial corruption scheme
By Staff Writer
(Nairobi, Kenya) —Prosecutors have filed 16 cumulative charges at the Federal High Court, Lideta Division, 5th Serious Corruption Crimes Bench, against 13 individuals—including former Ministry of Labor and Skills officials—following an investigation into a corruption scheme involving over 1.13 billion Birr in improper financial benefits.
The primary defendant, Birhanu Aleka, former manager of the Ethiopian Labor Market Information Project Office, is accused of manipulating the Ethiopian Labor Market Information System (ELMIS).
According to court filings, Birhanu collected illicit payments from overseas job seekers to grant online Professional Competency Assessment (COC) approvals without requiring necessary training. To execute the scheme, he allegedly assigned unauthorized system permissions—including “COC” and “COC Special Admin” privileges—to external individuals unaffiliated with the ministry.
To collect funds from departing migrant workers, illicit proceeds were deposited into bank accounts opened across several commercial banks using fraudulent identification and altered photographs. In total, prosecutors state that 1,134,609,241.93 Birr was funneled through these accounts. The funds were subsequently used to acquire assets in Addis Ababa in the names of Birhanu and his wife, including six residential properties valued at 223,654,950 Birr and a vehicle purchased for 68,144,738.03 Birr.
Birhanu faces four charges, including abuse of office, money laundering, aggravated breach of trust, and serious maladministration. Co-defendant Tamrat Ayenew Getnet, who remains at large, was charged jointly with Birhanu for abuse of power. Additionally, Ermias Teklu, former head executive of foreign worker deployment at the ministry, was charged with serious maladministration for facilitating the departure of 64,091 citizens to Jordan using forged visa documents. The 13 defendants—comprising ministry personnel, recruitment agency owners, and family members—face charges encompassing bribery, power abuse, and money laundering.
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