Sudan's ex-president Omar al-Bashir leaves the office of the anti-corruption prosecutor in Khartoum, Sudan, June 16, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan’s ex-president Omar al-Bashir was charged with corruption-related offences on Sunday, as he appeared in public for the first time since he was overthrown and detained in April.
Looking much the same as prior to his removal by the military, he was driven to the prosecutor’s office in Khartoum.
He was charged with illicit possession of foreign currency and accepting gifts in an unofficial manner, prosecutor Alaa al-Din Abdallah told media, adding that Bashir would be given the chance to respond to the accusations.
His trial will be a test of how serious the country’s transitional military council is about trying to erase the legacy of his autocratic 30-year rule, marked by widespread violence, economic collapse and the secession of South Sudan.
Bashir was charged last month with incitement and involvement in the killing of protesters, and prosecutors also want him questioned over suspected money laundering and terrorism financing.
Sudan’s chief prosecutor said on Saturday that 41 former officials from Bashir’s administration were being investigated for suspected graft.
POLITICAL PARALYSIS
The military overthrew and detained Bashir on April 11 after 16 weeks of street protests against his rule.
But despite his ouster, Sudan remains paralyzed by a political standoff between a transitional military council and a coalition of protesters and opposition parties demanding a civilian-led administration during a planned transition to democracy.
Talks on a power-sharing deal have collapsed, and tensions soared on June 3 when security forces stormed a protest camp in Khartoum being maintained as a way to press military rulers to hand over power.
Protesters put the number of dead from the incursion at 128, and the health ministry at 61.
Military investigators on Saturday said that government officers of various ranks were found to have been responsible for the dispersal of the camp without approval.
Addressing supporters at the presidential palace, the deputy head of the military council said on Sunday it was ready to accept nominees for top government positions proposed by the coalition.
“We are actually not in dispute and we are partners in this glorious revolution,” General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said. “They say a technocratic government and we are ready”.
Reporting by Eltayeb Siddig; Writing by Yousef Saba and Sami Aboudi; Editing by John Stonestreet
Newer articles:
- South Sudan nationals arrested in Amuru - 17/06/2019 12:28
- Sudan and the Instagram Tragedy Hustle - 17/06/2019 10:44
- South Sudan vows to protect children rights amid peace - 17/06/2019 10:36
- Sudan: Deportations to an embattled country - 17/06/2019 05:14
- South Sudan heightens efforts to increase voluntary blood donation to save lives - 17/06/2019 03:19
Older news items
- South Sudan seeks $500 mln loan to bridge budget gap - 16/06/2019 08:46
- UN praises Indian peacekeepers in S Sudan for humanitarian aid, critical work - 16/06/2019 04:16
- UNHCR welcomes South Sudan’s accession to convention to protect internally displaced people - 15/06/2019 23:30
- Pearson: A strong bond over South Sudan, 20 years in the making - 15/06/2019 08:51
- Reclaiming Azza: A History of Female Resistance in Sudan - 15/06/2019 02:03
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan-India: Diplomatic Relations and Economic Partnership Potential - 08/12/2018 00:18
- UNDP - Finance Associate (Re-advertised) - 03/04/2017 14:12
- South Sudan and the Holocaust - 20/07/2015 13:47
- Police Probed in South Sudan Over Missing Fines - Voice of America - 11/04/2013 00:06
- More than 30 killed in South Sudan bus crash - 29/09/2014 18:00
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61772 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22308 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21496 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19063 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18823 times