Somalia: Deputy Governor of Somalia’s CB implicated in money embezzlement

MOGADISHU, Somalia- Court of Appeals in Banadir region has implicated the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia in connection to the stolen $204,000 from Central Bank’s branch at Mogadishu seaport, Garowe Online reports.

During a press conference Chief Judge Muktar Nur Abukar said, the key suspect in the case is the Director of Central Bank’s branch at the seaport, Abdi Mohamed Abukar Dhiley.

The Judge said that the Bank office’s safe got damaged, prompted the teller Amin Abdiqadir Amin, to make a phone call to the deputy governor Maryan Moalim who instructed him to hand over the money from the broken safe into the custody of the director until the safe is fixed.

Maryan Moalim who is a close relative to Dhiley, has in the past appointed him to the position of director of the Central Bank’s office at Mogadishu city port. Consequently, Dhiley used the money to buy properties and with the support of Moalim they told the teller that the money will be returned in installment.

An investigation carried out by the General Audit found that the money was stolen from the safe in 2015, and about $48,000 is still missing. During the investigations, Amin said that Central Bank deputy governor ordered him to hand over the money to the director, and revealed that there are official documents proofing that Dhiley has received the money.

The press conference comes amid an order by the General Audit issued to arrest Dhiley in connection to his role in stealing the money.

In a similar case in August, a cashier has stolen $530,000 by replacing fake notes from the Central Bank, damaging the credibility of the financial institutions of Somalia.

The theft cases are likely to add to the woes gripping Somalia’s cash-strapped national government in Mogadishu.

UN reports implicated Somali political leadership, aides and other high ranking officials in rampant embezzlement of public funds in recent years.

GAROWEONLINE