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Joint
Cooperation, Consultation Forums hold regular meetings The Joint Cooperation
and Consultation Forums of the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption of
Ethiopia, Media institutions and Charity organizations held their
regular meetings here in The 3rd
regular meeting of the Joint Cooperation and Consultation Forum of the
Commission and Media institutions was convened here on August 20, 2010. After hearing the
Forum’s 2002 E.C performance report, the meeting thoroughly discussed
the activities executed and the challenges faced in areas of provision
of training, experience sharing, preparation of ethics guideline and
educating the public about ethics and anti-corruption via electronics
and print media, among others. The meeting also made
a thorough discussion on the Forum’s plan set for 2003 E.C. Similarly, the 4th
regular meeting of the Joint Cooperation and Consultation Forum
established by the FEACC and Charity organizations was held here in the
metropolis on August 24, 2010. Participants of the
meeting held discussion on the activities performed in 2002 E.C in the
areas of facilitating ways to fight corruption in a coordinated manner. According to the
performance report, the Joint Forum has managed to establish some 63
Kebele Ethics and Anti-corruption Clubs in Oromiya, Tigray and It was noted in the
course of the two meetings that the Commission would focus justice
system, land administration, government’s procurement and sale,
government’s revenue collection and disclosure and registration of
assets and financial interests for the next five years. Briefings were also
provided to participants of the Forum about the bill for the disclosure
and registration of assets and financial interests approved by the House
of People’s Representatives on March 17, 2010. |
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FEACC
executes encouraging activities in 2002 E.C The Federal Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) executed encouraging
activities in Business Process Reengineering (BPR), ethics education
expansion, corruption prevention and prosecution of corruption offences,
among others, in 2002 Ethiopian budget year. According to the
Commission’s 2002 E.C Annual Report, the FEACC on April 9, 2010
launched the full implementation of Business Process Reengineering (BPR)
study after refining the previously studied BPR since February 2009.
Regarding the
expansion of ethics education, FEACC offers awareness raising education
and Training of Trainers (ToT) on the concept of ethics and corruption,
laws related to corruption and corruption prevention strategies, among
others, to some 5,412 people in the reported period. A quarterly magazine
entitled “Ethics”, posters, stickers, Commission’s 2001 E.C
performance report, Commission’s profile, brochures, bimonthly
newsletter entitled “Insight”, anti-corruption modules and other
publication materials treating the above mentioned topics were
distributed to the public, while television and radio spots containing
similar messages were aired during the reported period. As far as
reinforcement of Ethics Infrastructures is concerned, the Commission
provided the necessary support to some 76 government offices,
development enterprises and higher education institutions, which
didn’t establish ethics liaison units or have no ethics officers. Some
29 ethics liaison units were also made to be reestablished. Ways through which
Regional Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commissions could get training,
experience sharing, professional support and research findings is
already been facilitated. The Commission has
provided consultation service and conducted studies on some 20 selected
work procedures and practices of government offices and enterprises and
sent the report to the respective institutions. A report that would
enable the Commission to conduct studies on some six working procedures
of key institutions namely the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority,
Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, Ethiopian Telecommunication
Corporation and Ethiopian Roads Authority is already prepared. As to investigation of
corruption offences, the Commission received 2915 tips-off from various
segments of the society, out of which 1584 tips-off were fall into its
jurisdiction. Some 615 files were
investigated, out of which 371 of them were forwarded to the Prosecution
Department of the Commission. Prosecutors
of the Commission filed charges on 362 of the cases. The Court ruled on
88 files, among which 85 files were ruled in favor of the FEACC. During the reported period under review, the Commission’s conviction rate has also reached 96.6 percent. |
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Commission
offers awareness raising training The Federal Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) offered awareness raising
training on the concepts of ethics and corruption, corruption prevention
strategies and laws related to corruption, among others, to some 198
people drawn from various institutions in July, 2010. The Commission
provided the training for some 40 participants drawn from the
Confederation of Ethiopian Labor Unions from July 12-16, 2010 here in
the Metropolis. Some 40 executives
drawn from various Sub-Cities and Kebeles of the Addis Ababa City
Administration were benefited from similar training from July 19-23,
2010. The awareness raising
training was also offered to some 48 heads and employees of various
government offices in the Dire Dawa City Administration from July 27-30,
2010. Professionals of the
Commission on July 30, 2010 offered a day-long awareness raising
training on ethics and professionalism to some 70 participants drawn
from the |
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Corruptors
in Dire Dawa receive jail terms, fine (FEACC)
Some 18 corrupt individuals in Dire Dawa City Administration received
rigorous prison terms and ordered to pay fine for committing corruption
offence, the Dire Dawa Branch Office with the Federal Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) of Ethiopia said. In its report sent to
FEACC, the Branch Office said as of its establishment eight months ago,
the Branch Office has been doing its level best to bring corrupt persons
to justice. Accordingly, it has
made some 18 offenders to receive prison terms ranging from six
months-10 years and to pay 1,000-10,000 Birr in fine. Regarding recovering
of public money, the branch office has made the recovering of 305,034
Birr possible. It has also caused the restraining of three vehicles and
42,837 square meters of land through court order. Some 79,976 Birr that
was confiscated from corrupt individuals was transferred to government
during the reported period. According to the report, the branch office has also executed various activities aiming at raising public’s awareness on corruption prevention and ethics by offering relevant training and organizing teleconference. |
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Court
sends offenders to prison The Dire Dawa Bench of
the Federal High Court sentenced four individuals to seven years of
rigorous imprisonment and fined them 6,000 Birr each for inflicting
damage on an individual, the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption
Commission brought as a major witness on a grand corruption case.
The court passed the
verdict on Jemal Mohammed Hussien, Weja Bedewi Ahmed, Siftu Muzeyin Issa
and Deputy Inspector Seid Hussien for inflicting the damage on the
Commission’s witness on suspects of a serious corruption offence. The court also
stripped the four offenders of any public rights for two years. According to Ethiopian Criminal Code and the Revised Establishment Proclamation of the Commission, the defendants were found guilty of the charge brought against them by the Commission, it was learned. |
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Commission
dubs National Anti-Corruption Coalition's performance encouraging
(Addis Ababa, FEACC)
The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC)
said the National Anti-Corruption Coalition has executed encouraging
activities over the past year. Presenting
the Coalition's 2002 E.C performance report to the second regular
meeting of the Coalition's Executive Committee here on July 20, 2010,
Director of Ethics Infrastructures Coordination Directorate with the
Commission, Hailu Berhe said although the Coalition is established a
year ago, it has managed to register encouraging results in fighting
corruption. He
attributed the achievement, among others, to the public's respect for
ethical conducts, the integrated efforts launched to raise public's
awareness on the ill effects of corruption, the commitment among leaders
of various governmental and private institutions and associations in the
fight against corruption and the special attention attached by the
Commission for the same purpose. The
Director said all Coalition members are expected to enter into the
anti-corruption struggle with full vigor in a bid to further strengthen
the ongoing struggle against corruption across the country. Members
of the Committee on their part stressed the need to launch concerted
efforts to meet the goal set to the Coalition. The
Executive Committee approved the minutes of its first regular meeting
after thoroughly deliberating on it. The Executive Committee has also
discussed on the Coalition's plans for 2003 E.C budget year, agendas and
venue for the next general assembly of the Coalition and other related
issues. Some
15 out of the 16 members of the Executive Committee drawn from
government offices, private sector, civil societies and the media were
in attendance at the half-day meeting. It is to be recalled that the National Anti-Corruption Coalition, which is aiming at coordinating and integrating efforts to combat corruption at national level, was established in a conference held here in Addis Ababa from July 2-3, 2009. |
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Panel
discusses issues of women, corruption, ethics Addis
Ababa (FEACC) The Federal Ethics
and Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia in collaboration with
Transparency International organized a panel discussion on women,
corruption and ethics on June 3, 2010 here in the capital. Opening
the panel discussion, Director of Ethics and Communications Affairs
Directorate with the Commission, Birhanu Asefa, said women would play a
significant role for the achievement of the ongoing fight against
corruption by shaping ethical citizens. According
to the Director, the Commission has attached due attention to the
involvement women in the anti-corruption struggle by joining efforts
with various organizations and associations that work in the area of
women affairs. Presenting
a research paper entitled “Women and Corruption”, Kebede Sima a
Senior Consultant from the Directorate said various research findings
show that though their engagement in corrupt practices is less than that
of men, corruption poses disproportionate impact on women. A
study published by the World Bank claimed that women are more
trustworthy and public-spirited than men. They found that in a large
cross-section of countries greater representation of women in parliament
led to lower level of corruption, he said.
Accordingly,
the Senior Consultant said it is important to involve women in the fight
against corruption by creating conducive environment that would enable
them to participate in political affairs and government services. Women
should also contribute their share in combating corruption by organizing
consultative forums, fighting the practice at institutional level and
rendering support to the activities of the Commission, among others, he
added. Presenting
a research paper entitled “Gender Based Ethical Violation Against
Women”, Fikre Ayalew, Civil Service Reform Program Expert from the
Ministry of Capacity Building on her part said as women have an enormous
role in the upbringing of children, they contribute a lot in producing
ethical citizens, who do not condone corruption. The
expert on the occasion underscored the importance of providing awareness
raising education on ethics and women with a view to making the fight
against corruption strong and organized. Hot discussion on the presentations and solutions were forwarded by participants for existing problems on relevant issues during the course of the panel. About 102 participants drawn from various governmental and non-governmental organizations, associations and media people were in attendance at the day-long panel discussion. |
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Commissions
hold 8th Regular Joint Conference The
8th Regular Joint Conference of the Federal and Regional
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commissions and other judicial organs held in
Assosa town, capital of the Beneshangul-Gumuz Region from June 16-17,
2010. Opening
the conference, Deputy Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC), H.E. Ato Addisu Mengistu
said utmost efforts should be exerted to make sure that corruption and
unethical conducts do not impede the country’s development endeavor. He
said the fight against corruption should also be harmonized with the
ongoing speedy and all rounded development of the nation. The
Deputy Commissioner said the government has identified and launched
efforts to implement key activities in social, economic and good
governance sectors for the next five years. Basing
that, the FEACC has identified five critical issues that would be
considered during the designing of its five-year strategic plan.
Accordingly, he said the five strategic issues the Commission would
focus in the next five-year are land administration, major government
procurement and sales, justice system, tax and revenue and registration
of assets and financial interests of public officials. He
also expressed the Commission’s readiness to share its experience in
the designing of the five-year strategic plan to Regional Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commissions in a bid to enable the Commissions be
successful in their fight against corruption. The
Deputy Commissioner called upon Regional Governments to render all the
necessary support towards making the activities of the Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commissions of their respective regions fruitful. The
conference heard the report about the implementation of the decisions
passed during the 7th Regular Joint Conference. It has also
evaluated the national anti-corruption activities half budget year
(2009) report. The
conference also deliberated on the support being provided by the FEACC
to Regional Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commissions and its relationship
with them, it was learned. The
conference participants discussed and adopted a five points resolution.
The participants reached on consensus in the establishment of
Anti-Corruption Coalition in Regional States, making efforts for the
enactment of the proclamations providing for the registration of assets
and properties of public officials and protection of whistleblowers. They
have also agreed to share experience in the area of utilizing
information technology in the anti-corruption struggle and launch
activities with a view to making sure that the donations provided by
donors is used for the intended purpose. It is to be recalled that the 7th Regular Joint Conference of the Commissions was held in Gambella town last January. |
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FEACC
files charges against two journalists The
Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on May 20, 2010 filed
charges against two journalists of Ethiopian Radio and Television
Agency, who were suspected of corruption offences and arrested on April
22 and 23, 2010. Haileyesus
Worku, who was an editor of democracy and good governance program and
Abdulsemed Mohammed, a senior reporter of entertainment program are
accused of abusing their position in the Agency for personal gains. According
to the charges, the journalists provided 19 various audio visual
documents which contain, among others, information on Ethiopia’s
natural, historical and religious heritages, investment opportunities,
Ethio-US bilateral relation, the fight between the armies of Ethiopian
People Revolutionary and Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the “Derge”
regime and the celebration of different religious and cultural
festivities, for two journalists from the Saudi Arabian based private
Television, Al e’qra. The journalists were to receive a total of 30,000 Birr in exchange of the documents. The corruption offences committed by the journalists inflicted damage valued at 207,000 Birr on the Agency, it was learned. |
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Commission
offers ToT on corruption prevention strategies The
Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) offered Training
of Trainers (ToT) on corruption prevention strategies to experts drawn
from Tax Collection and License Provision Institutions under the Addis
Ababa City Administration and to members of various mass and
professional associations. The
ToT, focusing on the concept of ethics and corruption, laws related with
corruption offences and corruption prevention methods was provided to
experts of Tax Collection and License Provision Institutions under the
Addis Ababa City Administration from May 10-14, 2010. Similar
training was also provided to members of various mass and professional
associations from May 17-19, 2010. Some 67 people were in attendance at
the ToT organized here in the metropolis. According to some of the participants of the training, the ToT would have a vital importance to enable them contribute their share in the ongoing efforts geared towards containing corruption in the country. |
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Commission
organizes event heralding full implementation of BPR An
event heralding the commencement of the full implementation of the
Business Process Reengineering (BPR) program, which has been conducted
since February 2009 by the The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption
Commission was held on the premises of Commission on May 29, 2010. The
half-day event was organized with a view to enabling all employees of
the Commission to have common knowledge about the full implementation of
the BPR, which was launched on April 9, 2010. The
event was also aimed at instigating the employees for better
performance. Experts from Change Management Directorate with the Commission made presentations about the activities executed in connection with the trial and full implementations of the BPR. Answers were also provided to the queries raised by employees on related issues. |
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Corruptors
receive imprisonment, fine The
First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court on May 14, 2010 sentenced
three corruptors to 5-21 years of imprisonment and ordered them to pay
5,000-35,000 Birr in fine. According
to the file charged by the Prosecution Department of the Federal Ethics
and Anti-Corruption Commission, Goshu Andualem who was former accountant
at the Federal Verdict Execution
Department with the Federal Courts, embezzled more than one million
Birr through forging documents and cheques.
The
convict forged two bank cheques by putting an imitated signature and
deposited the embezzled 1,025,267.81 Birr in a bank account opened with
a forged Identity Card he prepared for himself with a fabricated name. Aster
Azeze, who is the wife of Goshu Andualem and Deputy Inspector, Abrham
Ayalew, collaborated in the crime by hiding the property obtained
through corruption. Since
all the convicts failed to refute the corruption charges brought against
them by the Commission, the Court gave Goshu Andualem 21 years of
rigorous imprisonment and fined him 35,000 Birr. A five year prison terms and 5,000 Birr fine were given to Aster Azeze, while Deputy Inspector, Abrham Ayalew received 7 years of imprisonment and 10,000 Birr fine. |
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Court
sends corruptors, accomplices to jail The
First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court on May 10, 2010 passed
verdict on three individuals and their accomplices for committing
corruption offences. Behaylu
Lemma, Dehab Gebrehiwot, Tekledingil Gebremikael, and their accomplices
Etenesh Zerfu, Negasa Feyera, Awoke Chanie, Zerihun Bekele, Engda Dina
and Eyerusalem Gebrewold were convicted in connection with the
establishment of “Misrak Tsehay”, an illegal residential
units cooperative association to obtain urban land by forging
government documents. According
to the file charged by the Prosecution Department of the Federal Ethics
and Anti-Corruption Commission, Behaylu Lemma, a former engineer at the
Addis Ababa City Administration enabled 162 association members to get
175 sq. meters of illegal land on individual basis by forging documents.
Dehab Gebrehiwot, an employee of Accordingly,
the Court gave Behaylu Lemma, Dehab Gebrehiwot, Tekledingil Gebremikael
and Etenesh Zerfu prison terms ranging from 4-7 years and ordered them
to pay 1,000-8,000 Birr in fine. Negasa
Feyera, Awoke Chanie, Zerihun Bekele, Engda Dina and Eyerusalem
Gebrewold were jailed each to 7 years and made to pay 8,000 Birr in fine
for collaborating in the plot. The
Court passed the verdict since the convicts had failed to refute the
evidences corroborated against them by prosecutors of the Commission. It is to be recalled that the Court on April 22, 2010 sentenced Behaylu Lemma, Dehab Gebrehiwot and Tekledingil Gebremikael to 5-15 years of imprisonment and fined them 5,000-20,000 Birr in connection with urban land grabbing through the disguise of “Shala” and “Bogala”, illegal residential units cooperative associations. |
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Some 110 corrupt guys receive jail terms in three months time Addis Ababa (FEACC)-In the last
three months alone (February to April, 2010), Courts handed out jail
terms to a total of 110 corrupt guys who had been charged by the Federal
Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) for committing
corruption crimes in various periods of time. The jail terms given range between 1 and 21 years and the
fines handed out to them fluctuate between 3,000 and 50, 000 Birr. The offenders were held culpable for abuse of power, forgery,
traffic in official influence, maladministration, acceptance of undue
advantages, bribery, and breach of trust. Chief among the culprits were the former General Manager of
the Land Development Office with the Each of them received 21 years of rigorous imprisonment in
connection with illegal land grab in the Metropolis and acceptance of
undue advantages respectively. Furthermore, Wond Wosen Alemu Bekele has been charged with committing other corruption crimes and is awaiting verdict on those additional offenses, it was learned. |
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Commission,
DFID discuss distortion study During the discussion, Senior Governance Advisor to Ethiopia
with the DFID, Mr. Oliver Blake, said that the study was conducted to
examine the allegations by some people that aid was used for political
reasons in some parts of the Country. Accordingly, the study was conducted in the areas of basic
services, humanitarian relief, education, safety net, and peace cup
programmes to check whether there were proper checks and balances to
prevent the possibility of using aid for unintended purposes. The study showed significant variation in the accountability
and transparency system, it was learned. It, for example, showed that
there were proper checks and balances in place in the safety net and
education programmes. On the flip side of this, some problems were detected in some
of the areas (relief and peace cup programmes, for example) covered by
the study. The problems might have resulted from gaps of capacity or
accountability, Mr. Blake said. The study has, therefore, made some recommendations on how
systems and safeguards could be strengthened so that distortions in some
donor-supported programmes could be effectively prevented. According to Mr. Blake, the outcome of the study will be
presented to the Ethiopian Government and some options in relation to
strengthening systems and safeguards will also be set out during the
discussion. Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E Mr. Ali Sulaiman, on his part,
disclosed that it was in the interest of the Ethiopian People and
Government that the systems and safeguards put in place were
strengthened. Therefore, he added, the recommendations put forward as a
result of the study could be of paramount importance in curbing capacity
constraints and other loopholes that might have caused some unintended
consequences. The Commissioner assured Mr. Blake that he would discuss the
issue with regional ethics and anti-corruption commissions and seek
solutions to the problems raised. The study was conducted based on desk based review, not extensive field work in the areas covered by the study, it was learned. |
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Court
Sentences Corrupt Guy to Eight years of Rigorous Imprisonment
Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The
First Instance Bench of the Federal High Court sentenced Berhane Abraha,
former employee of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, on 3 May
2010 to eight years of rigorous imprisonment for forging government
documents to steal public property worth 1, 216, 213.82 Birr. While
working as Secretary of Store at the Corporation from 8 July 2005 to 7
July 2006, he forged original government documents in order to steal
(which he managed to do) various electric appliances worth 1, 216,
213.82 Birr. The
perpetrator failed to refute the charges the Federal Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia brought to him on November 19,
2001 for the intentional crimes he committed and was, as a result,
handed the rigorous imprisonment. |
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Court
sentences offenders to rigorous imprisonments The convicts formed illegal associations to realize their
illegal scheme for the grabbing of urban land in the Metropolis using
the unlimited access of information they had been enjoying as employees
of the Municipality working in different capacities. Behailu Lema Dinku, Former Technician of Land and Housing
Department with the City Administration, copied the Master Plan of the
Metropolis (to which he had access as a technician) into a CD,
identified and spotted areas that were readied for distribution by the
City Administration, prepared cadastre plans of them and gave out the
plots of land among members of two fake associations of which creation
he masterminded. Overall, the misappropriated land is worth more than
205 million Birr. The court, therefore, handed Behailu Lema Dinku 11 years of
rigorous imprisonment and fined him 20, 000 Birr. The accused
orchestrated the establishment of the two fake associations,
‘Bogale’ and ‘Shala’, in conspiracy with other accomplices. Chief among the accomplices were Dehab Gebrehiwot and Abay
Legesse, who were both working in the land leasing Departments of the
Yeka and Kolfe Keraniyo Sub-cities respectively, facilitated the
formalization and legalization of the fake associations as if they were
real and existent. As a result, Dehab received 15 years of rigorous imprisonment
and was fined 20, 000 Birr, with Abay Legesse getting 5 years of
rigorous imprisonment and a fine of 1, 000 Birr. The other defendant,
Tekile Dingil Gebre Michael, was given 5 years of rigorous imprisonment
and was fined 5, 000 Birr. The verdict on the remaining defendants (Mekete Tadesse, Daniel Belay, and Habitamu Mekuanint) was given in absentia. They each received 2 years of rigorous imprisonment and 5, 00 Birr of fine. |
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Court
sends corrupt individuals to jail Addis Ababa (FEACC)-The
Federal High Court sentenced two corrupt individuals to 18 and 10 years
of rigorous imprisonment on 16 March 2010 for committing serious and
grand corruption offences in concert. Former Finance Officer at the Disaster Prevention and
Preparedness Agency, Elias Sirur Mohammed, connived with a Mr. Abebe
Wolde-Hanna and committed serious crime of treachery and forgery for
which he was handed 18 years of rigorous imprisonment with his
accomplice (Abebe Wolde-Hanna) receiving 10 years of rigorous
imprisonment. Elias was assigned by his employer (Disaster Prevention and
Preparedness Agency) to withdraw money from its account in the National
Bank regularly and he used his assignment and position for committing
corruption, the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of
Ethiopia (FEACC) said. According to the Commission, Elias forged the names and
signatures of Mr. Siraq Hailu, Director of the Agency, and Mr. Alemu
Wolde, Head of the Civil Service Reform Office with the Agency, and put
them on the Agency’s Cheques. He, then, withdrew 6.9 million Birr from the Agency’s
account in the Bank using those faked cheques and deposited it in the
Nib International Bank in the account of Mr. Abebe Wolde-Hanna, who was
the second convict. Following the revelation of the corruption crime, Elias was
charged with two counts of corruption crimes: serious treachery and
forgery of government documents. The Commission pressed charges against Abebe Wolde-Hanna,
under whose name the stolen money was deposited, as an accomplice of the
Crime web. Having failed to refute the charges brought against them by
the Commission, Elias and Abebe were handed 18 and 10 years of rigorous
imprisonments respectively. They were also fined 50, 000 and 45,000 Birr
correspondingly. It is to be recalled that Abebe Wolde-Hanna was arrested in
the Sudan following the revelation of his crime and was brought back
home to face the corruption charges leveled against him by the FEACC. |
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CoST
Champions meeting held here in Addis Opening the Meeting of the International Advisory Group of the
CoST, the Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) and Champion of CoST-Ethiopia, H.E Mr.
Ali Sulaiman, said that a comprehensive approach was needed because of
the fact that corruption was the complex web of engagements between the
private and public sectors. According to him, corruption is not simply a public sector
issue; corrupt transactions by definition require the participation of
more than one actor. The CoST, as an international multi-stakeholder transparency
initiative, has helped galvanize shared-interests in ensuring
transparency and accountability in the Construction Sector, at least in
member countries, the Commissioner added. He, however, stressed the need
for launching sustainable reforms that were required for improving
access to information. As he stated it, the CoST could significantly help member
countries ensure broader transparency and disclosure frameworks in their
procurement systems through procurement legislations, directives and
regulations. The start of the International Advisory Group Meeting came one
day after the Commissioner attended a CoST ‘African Champions
Meeting’ which was also held here in Addis and attended by senior
government representatives from Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
The Meeting was an opportunity for the champions to reflect on progress
and discuss future developments of the CoST. Also in attendance of the meetings was Mr. Christiaan Poortman,
Chairman of the CoST International Advisory Group. Speaking at the
African Champions Meeting, Mr. Poorman said that the Champions had been
providing the high-level support that was necessary to ensure that the
CoST was integrated into national systems. “In this way, improvements
in transparency and accountability are becoming institutionalized,” he
confirmed. Experience sharing among member countries on the activities of
baseline study, procurement entities, stakeholder involvement, capacity
building, communication, and disclosure strategies was high on the
agenda of the Meetings, it was learned.
The two Meetings were attended by representatives from the UK
Department for International Development that provides financial support
for the CoST and the World Bank that provides it with the required
technical assistance. The CoST is an international multi-stakeholder initiative
designed to increase transparency and accountability in publicly
financed construction projects. It achieves this through supporting the
release of project information into the public domain. The CoST was
launched by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in
May 2008. It is being piloted over a two year period in seven countries
which are |
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Commission
attends accountability and integrity promotion workshop Addis Ababa (FEACC)-The Federal
Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) attended the
Africa Regional Workshop on Promoting Accountability and Integrity in
Government Spending held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 6 to 9
April 2010. According to the Deputy Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E Mr.
Addisu Mengistu, the aim of the Workshop was to facilitate the sharing
of knowledge and experience among participants about government
structures and good practices that promote accountability and integrity
in government spending. Fostering new and stronger national and regional partnerships
amongst oversight, accountability, and integrity organizations was also
one of the major objectives of the Workshop, the Deputy Commissioner
confirmed. Countries that attended the Workshop agreed to intensify the
fight against corruption and work to improve the welfare of their
citizens through various measures, it was learned. Among the measures put forward by participant institutions
were putting public interest and the welfare of citizens before party
interests, obtaining adequate financial and human resources for their
functioning, and adopting and implementing a system of sanctions to
ensure that the executive branch of government responds to reports of
supreme audit institutions. Additionally, representatives of the supreme audit
institutions who were in attendance of the Workshop undertook to seek
legal, financial, personnel management, and operational independence
from the executive branch of government. Fostering public support through the development and
implementation of a public communications strategy that includes the
media and seeking systematic responses from the executive to audit
reports would also be focus areas in the years to come, it was learned. According to Mr. Addisu, representatives of anti-corruption
agencies undertook to seek the protection of their heads from political
influence or retaliation, in particular through communication with
public and civil society. They also agreed to promote public disclosure of assets and
liabilities of senior public officials and to promote the protection of
whistleblowers and witnesses. Consensus has also been reached on the
establishment of special, dedicated anti-corruption courts with
fast-truck procedures. Coordination of activities through the establishment of
national forums and regional networks of oversight, accountability and
anti-corruption organizations was also high on their agenda. Capacity
building was among the key issues during the deliberation, the Deputy
Commissioner added. Participants from key public interest oversight and anti-corruption organizations in 17 English, French, and Portuguese-speaking African Countries were in attendance of the vitally important Workshop. |
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House
Ratifies Assets Disclosure, Registration Proclamation According to the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission
of Ethiopia (FEACC), the proclamation shall be applicable to appointees,
elected persons, and public servants of the Federal Government and the Any appointee, elected person or public servant shall have the
obligation to disclose and register the assets under the ownership or
possession of himself and his family and sources of his income and those
of his family in pursuant to the proclamation. In spite of the above stipulation, common property acquired
through inheritance and held by the heirs for private use, household
goods and personal effects, and pension benefits are exempt from
registration. The FEACC would be in charge of the registration of the
assets, it was learned. The proclamation states that all information regarding the
registration of assets of an appointee, elected person or public servant
shall be open to the public and any person who wishes to access the
information regarding the registration of assets may apply in writing to
the FEACC. According to the proclamation, any asset of the appointees,
elected persons, and public servants that is not registered in
accordance with the proclamation shall, in the absence of proof to the
contrary, be considered as an unexplained property. The appointees, elected persons, and public servants may not
accept any gift, hospitality or sponsored travel that may put their
authority under question or ensue conflict of interest. It was also enshrined in the proclamation that an appropriate
administrative sanction shall, in accordance with relevant code of
ethics, be taken against any appointee, elected person or public servant
who fails to disclose any conflict of interest in accordance with this
proclamation. Any public office or public enterprise is duty-bound to
facilitate the timely registration of assets and issue and enforce
relevant code of ethics. Failure to comply with the proclamation regarding the disclosure and registration of assets, avoidance of conflict of interest, and refraining from taking retaliatory measures against whistle-blowers or witnesses shall result in punishment in accordance with the Criminal Code. |
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Commission
makes encouraging achievements Addis Ababa (FEACC)-The Federal
Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) said that it
had made encouraging achievements in the last nine months of the 2002
(Ethiopian Calendar) budget year in fighting and preventing corruption. Presenting the Commission’s nine-month performance report to
the House of Representatives, Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E Mr. Ali
Sulaiman, disclosed that the Commission had offered a number of
trainings for numerous citizens with a view to raising public awareness
on the dire need to tackling corruption and impropriety in the Country
in a participatory and multi-stakeholder approach. According to the Commissioner, the FEACC examined and reviewed
31 working procedures that were believed to be conducive to corruption
and impropriety in various public offices and enterprises. The
preparation of draft reports on the examination of working procedures of
five activities in different public offices and enterprises had also
been finalized, he added. Regarding investigation of cases, the Commissioner disclosed
that 418 corruption cases were investigated in the last nine months of
the budget year. Concerning prosecution of cases, the Commission pressed
charges against alleged corruption cases under 251 new files in addition
to some pending ones. Verdict was given on 44 files, 42 of them being given in
favour of the Commission, raising the conviction rate of its cases to
95.45 per cent. The Commission also said that it had been working in cooperation with partners and stakeholders in the fight against corruption. The collaborative work the Commission had been doing with the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) in tackling corruption in the construction sector was worth-mentioning in this regard, according to it. |
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Court
Sentences corrupt guys, accomplices Addis Ababa (FEACC)-The First
Instance Bench of the Federal High Court sentenced two corrupt guys and
their accessories who were all employees of the Bole Sub-City (Kebele
14/15) on 16 March 2010 in connection with illegal land grab in the
Metropolis valued at 894, 425 Birr. The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia
(FEACC); which leveled the corruption charges against the defendants;
said that Almaz Kidane, Mahilet Amsalu, and Geremew Tesfaye;
who were all employees of the Sub-City; abused their powers for personal
gains. According to the Commission, the convicts connived with a
Hadra Habib and a certain Yalem Berhan Tesfaye in the preparation of a
fake cadastral map and title deeds of urban land under the name of the
latter two, who owned the land illegally through the conspiracy. According to the corruption charges the Commission brought
against each of them, Almaz Kidane helped Yalem Berhan Tesfaye change
his name unlawfully to illegally represent Habib Hadra in the
appropriation of the land and Mahlet Amsalu was involved in the
preparation of fake documents, confirming the illegal ownership of the
grabbed land. Geremew Tesfaye was also accused of providing one of the
unlawful land grabbers with illegal identification cards. Yalem Berhan Tesfaye, Hadra Habib, Mahlet Amsalu, Geremew
Tesfaye, and Almaz Kidane had all failed to refute the corruption
charges brought against them by the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission of Ethiopia and were handed with rigorous imprisonments
ranging from 1 to 4 years and were ordered by the court to pay fines
ranging between 300 and 6000 Birr. The FEACC urged the general public to remain vigilant, keep a watchful eye on corrupt transactions, and report suspected corruption cases and improprieties to it immediately. |
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Commission
catches two corruption suspects red-handed Addis Ababa (FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) caught two employees of the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority on 12 March 2010 in the act of receiving 200,000 Birr in bribes from importers of auto spare parts. A Junior Examination Officer at the Addis Ababa Airport Customs Branch Office refused to release the auto spare parts that the businessmen imported legally, falsely claiming that the items were not legally imported. He then demanded that they pay him 300,000 Birr in bribes for them to take delivery of the auto spare parts they imported, it was learned. The second arrestee who was a Clearing Agent at the Addis Ababa Airport Customs Branch Office of the Authority mediated between the businessmen and the first arrestee in the negotiation of the bribe. He allegedly managed to convince both sides to settle their deal at 200,000 Birr, which was a hundred thousand Birr less than what was originally demanded by the first arrestee. The businessmen brought the fake deal which they deliberately orchestrated and struck to the attention of the Commission, with the latter arriving at the scene at the agreed-time and catching the two suspects red-handed. In a related development, two land administration officers at the Nefas-Silk Lafto Sub-city were caught red-handed by the Commission’s investigative Officers in the act of receiving 25,000 Birr in bribes from a person of whom residential site was transferred to government ownership by way of compensation. The suspects were reportedly forcing their client to pay them the bribe in exchange for a preferential treatment in the distribution of urban land allocated by the Government for residents whose previous residential areas were appropriated by the Government in compensation. The FEACC urged the
general public not to hesitate to bring such kinds of corruption cases
to its attention any time. |
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Court
sentences couple for committing corruption in tandem Addis
Ababa (FEACC)-The
Federal High Court sentenced a couple, Goshu Andualem and Aster Azeze,
on 18 February 2010 with rigorous imprisonment ranging from 5-15 years
for stealing 549, 609.92 Birr from the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in
tandem. According to the Court, former finance officer and Acting Head
of the Finance Department with the Judgment Execution Division of the
Federal High Courts, Goshu Andualem, and his wife, Aster Azeze,
orchestrated a trickery scheme and stole the money from the Lideta
Branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. As a finance officer and Acting Head of the Finance
Department, Goshu knew that there was a legal battle between a Mr. Kitaw
Meshesha and Mrs. Almaz Ayele after which the court gave its verdict in
favour of the former. As a result, the Court ordered that Mrs. Almaz’s property be
sold so that Mr. Kitaw would get his money back, with the rest of the
money to go to the rightful owner Mrs. Almaz. In accordance with the
order of the Court, it was learned that Mrs. Almaz withdrew the money
from the National Bank of Ethiopia, which Goshu knew because of his
position. Having all this information, Goshu developed a trickery plan
with his wife, opened a bank account in her name and masterminded the
transfer of the money to his wife’s bank account, from which she
managed to withdraw later as per their trickery and theft plan. Goshu and Aster failed to defend the charges brought to them
by the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC)
and the Court sentenced the former with 15 years of rigorous
imprisonment with the latter receiving five years of rigorous
imprisonment. The court also ordered Goshu to pay 20,000 Birr in fines, it was learned. |
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Court
sends offenders to jail According to the corruption charges brought to him by the
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC),
former employee of Kolfe Keraniyo, Temoges Woldemelak, connived with a
Negash Seman and Anwar Jemal, who were both businessmen, on approving
their request and application for 1, 135.68 square meter of urban land
in the name of a fake association, Tahbib No. 2/13. They established the fake and illegal association without
fulfilling the required criteria with the help of Temoges Woldemelak, it
was learned. Temoges included their fake Association in the list of
legal associations and enabled them to secure the land on September 7,
2005. They were also provided with title deeds. Because of the criminal acts of the three corrupt individuals,
the Government lost 1, 835, 258.88 million Birr, it was learned. The convicts failed to defend the charges brought to them by
the FEACC and the Court sentenced Temoges with eight years of rigorous
imprisonment, with Negash and Anwar receiving 7 years of rigorous
imprisonment each. Additionally, Temoges was fined 50, 000 Birr with Negash and Anwar being ordered to pay 4, 000 Birr each in fines. |
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Stakeholders
in CoST-Ethiopia hold induction workshop Opening the workshop, H.E Mr. Ali Sulaiman, Commissioner of
the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia and
Champion of CoST-Ethiopia, underscored the significance of the
Construction Sector to the overall development of the Country. The Commissioner who mentioned that an estimated amount of 1.7
trillion USD had been circulating internationally in the Construction
Sector also stated that some 400 billion USD was lost to corruption
annually at the global level. According to the Commissioner, weak governance and lack of
transparency and accountability in construction projects could make the
construction process more vulnerable to corruption and fraud. Because of corruption, the Commissioner added, decisions on
which construction projects to spend tax payers’ money could be
skewed, rather than being made in the public interest. There could also
be possibilities for public money allocated for construction projects to
be entirely lost to corruption. Use of poor quality materials and inappropriate cost-saving
measures could also lead to poor quality infrastructure which might fell
apart, risking lives and reducing economic returns, the Commissioner
said. He also stated that Ethiopia had been allocating a huge amount
of money for the Construction Sector in the last decade or so. The
Government wanted to make sure that every penny of this huge chunk of
money went to the intended purpose. To achieve this goal, he maintained, preventing corruption in
the Construction Sector was vitally important. That was why Ethiopia
joined the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST), he added.
As a member Country, Ethiopia would continue to support the causes of CoST and promote its objectives, the Commissioner concluded. |
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Court
sends corrupt individuals to jail Addis
Ababa (FEACC)-The
Federal High Court sentenced eight individuals from 7-10 years of
rigorous imprisonment and handed them out with fines ranging from
3,000-20,000 Birr on 19 February 2010 in connection with blatant and
barefaced land grab valued at 208 million Birr here in the Metropolis. According to the Court, Muleme Rashid, Lema Degfie, Dehab
Gebrehiwot, and Miftah Abdu, who were all public servants here in the
Capital, abused their powers for personal gain and illegally benefiting
others in the year 2007. Corruptors Konjit Desta, Mekonnen Wollelaw, Yossef Getnet, and
Solomon Girma were also accused of illegal enrichment and hurting
government interests, as they were involved in the illegal grabbing of
some 120, 000 square meter of urban land. |
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Court
sends corrupt guy to jail Addis Ababa-(FEACC)-The
Federal High Court sentenced former employee of the Addis Ababa Water
and Sewerage Authority on 24 February 2010 to five years of rigorous
imprisonment and fined him 5,000 Birr for serious breach of trust. The Court found Tamirat Berhanu guilty of embezzling 49,841.30
Birr of public money while working as a finance officer in the Gullelie
and Gurd Shola Branches of the Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority
from 2004-2006. The convict failed to defend the corruption charges brought to him by the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia and received the verdict, it was learned. |
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Court
sends corrupt guy to jail Addis Ababa-(FEACC)-The Federal
High Court sentenced former employee of the Addis Ababa Water and
Sewerage Authority on 24 February 2010 to five years of rigorous
imprisonment and fined him 5,000 Birr for serious breach of trust. The Court found Tamirat Berhanu guilty of embezzling 49,841.30
Birr of public money while working as a finance officer in the Gullelie
and Gurd Shola Branches of the Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority
from 2004-2006. The convict failed to defend the corruption charges brought to
him by the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia and
received the verdict, it was learned. |
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Court
sends corrupt individuals to jail Addis Ababa (FEACC)-The Federal
High Court sentenced eight individuals from 7-10 years of rigorous
imprisonment and handed them out with fines ranging from 3,000-20,000
Birr on 19 February 2010 in connection with blatant and barefaced land
grab valued at 208 million Birr here in the Metropolis. According to the Court, Muleme Rashid, Lema Degfie, Dehab
Gebrehiwot, and Miftah Abdu, who were all public servants here in the
Capital, abused their powers for personal gain and illegally benefiting
others in the year 2007. Corruptors Konjit Desta, Mekonnen Wollelaw, Yossef Getnet, and
Solomon Girma were also accused of illegal enrichment and hurting
government interests, as they were involved in the illegal grabbing of
some 120, 000 square meter of urban land. The convicts failed to defend the charges brought to them by the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission and were thus jailed and fined. |
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Court
Sends Six Corrupt Guys to Jail Addis Ababa (FEACC)-The Federal
High Court sentenced four employees of the Bole Sub-City and their
accomplices to rigorous imprisonment ranging from 1-3 years on 11
February 2010 for committing corruption crimes and for being accomplices
to the crimes. According to the Court, Former Secretary at the Sub-City,
Kropa Gebrelibanos, and Former Officers of Civil Status at the same
Sub-City, Abebech Terefe and Mesfin Asfaw, had been preparing and
issuing illegal birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates through
corruption. Accomplices to the crime, Solomon Idris, Berhanu Admasu, and
Cheru Mengesha, were tasked with distributing the illegal certificates
among corruptors in exchange for illegal benefits and inducements. Thus, the Court sentenced Kropa Gebrelibanos to three years of
rigorous imprisonment, with Solomon Idris, Berhanu Admasu, and Cheru
Mengesha receiving two years of rigorous imprisonment each. Abebech
Tefera and Mesfin Assefa were also handed out one year of rigorous
imprisonment. |
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Suspects of serious
trickery arrested The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) arrested four suspects red-handed on January 6, 2010 for allegedly trying to sell 10-killogram gilded silver, deceptively claiming that it was gold. The suspects were
looking for buyers claiming that they had more than 100 Kg of gold and
diamond for sale, it was learned. The FEACC arrested the suspects based
on the tip-off it received from whistleblowers about the suspected
trickery and deception. The investigators of the
FEACC disguised themselves as buyers and agreed to buy 10 Kg of
‘gold’, which in reality was gilded silver, for some 2.5 million
Birr. Upon further
investigation after the arrest, it was found out that the case wasn’t
within the its jurisdiction, the Commission added. The Commission had,
therefore, transferred the case to the Addis Ababa Police Commission for
further investigation. The FEACC urged the general public to be watchful of such tricksters and called for them to inform relevant authorities when they come across such kinds of trickeries. |
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Court
sentences offender to seven years of imprisonment, fines him 10,000 Birr
Addis Ababa (FEACC)-The Federal High Court sentenced former
employee of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, who stole 188, 712.47 Birr
from his employer (the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia), to seven years of
rigorous imprisonment and fined him 10, 000 Birr on 22 December 2009. Biruk Wondimu, who received the verdict in absentia, had been
a teller at the Mahatemegandi Branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
before he was charged with stealing the stated amount of money by the
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia on 26 December
2008, it was learned. The convict, who was accused of committing serious breach of
trust in order to enrich himself illegally, had already disappeared with
the money. |
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Court
Gives 10 to 14 Years Imprisonment The first Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court,
on 31 December 2009, sentenced six individuals who were convicted of
unlawful wealthier from 10-14 years imprisonment and 5,000 to 20,000
birr fine. The convicts were found guilty of illegal and fake practice in commercial bank of Ethiopia Arada Georges branch. According to the charge filed by the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption commission, Daniel Bekele, who was an IT professional at the Bank from February 2001 to November 2002 G.C, used the password given to him by the bank to transfer a total of 3,627.300 birr at different times from the saving account of different customers to the account of five individuals with fake names. Daniel deposited the stated amount of money in the account of Belete Meaza, Bizunesh Abebe, Henok Zerihun, Samuel Bekele (his brother) and Yekurabachew Yelma. Samuel Bekele opened a current account in his own name at the Nagadres Branch of Abyssinia Bank and deposited there a substantial sum of money. The prosecutor stated all the individuals shared
the money embezzled from the Bank. Daniel left the country after with
drawing the money through different individuals. After he fled the
country his brother made payments to the individuals involved in the
crime. According to the charge given by the court, Daniel
Bekele in absentia given 14 years rigorous imprisonment and 20,000 birr
fine, Belete Maeza to 12 years imprisonment and 20,000 birr fine, Samuel
Bekele to 10 years of imprisonment and 5,000 birr fine, Bizunesh Abebe
in absentia and Yekurabachew Yelema each got 10 years imprisonment and
15,000 birr fine. The individuals were found guilty as they were unable to disprove the doucumentary and testamentary evidences presented by the prosecution. |
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Ex-FEACC
staff member gets eight years prison term Tsegaye Hailu, ex-junior
investigator at the FEACC, conspired with Assefa Elias, ex- Deputy
Sergeant with the Federal Police Commission, and took 10,000 birr in
bribes from executive committee members of Gisla Shoe Cooperative No. 2. The convicts struck a
deal with the executive committee of the Cooperative to legalize Gisla
Shoe Cooperative No.1, whose case was under investigation by the FEACC
while promised to drop the investigation being conducted in connection
with Gisla Shoe Cooperative No.2 and in return they demanded 400,000
birr in bribes, the charge leveled against them reads. Accordingly, the FEACC
on 24 January 2008 caught them red-handed while taking 10,000 in bribes. In addition, the FEACC, in the course of the investigation, found out that Tsegaye Hailu, who used to earn just 2185 birr a month and a father of four, had purchased a share worth 100,000 birr from Anbesa International Bank.Thus he was also charged with owing money whose source was unidentified. |
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FEACC
provides office room, facilities to CoST-Ethiopia In
addition, the FEACC has made available utilities, like water, power, and
cleaning service. The
FEACC also played considerable role in the initiation of the national
CoST action plan and establishment of the national executive committee
of CoST. The
Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E. Mr. Ali Sulaiman, who is also the
national CoST Champion, has been playing tremendous role in facilitating
communication between the national multi-stakeholder group executive
committee and relevant bodies as well as promoting the Initiative. The
country office has currently identified four procuring bodies on the
basis of their budget allocation and the Government’s top priority
areas. The
identified procuring entities are the Ethiopian Roads Authority, the
Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Water
Resources. CoST
is an international multi-stakeholder initiative designed to increase
transparency and accountability in the construction sector. It aims to
enhance the accountability of procuring bodies and construction
companies for the cost and quality of public-sector construction
projects. CoST
is being piloted for over two year period. There are seven pilot
countries in total including |
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December
9 celebrated colourfully in Ethiopia All those activities and events focused on
raising public awareness on the need to prevent and do away with corruption
and impropriety. The Commission used the events to enlighten the various
cross-sections of the society about the dangerous consequences and threats
of corruption at local, national, and international levels. The events were
designed and conducted in a way that enhances public participation in the
struggle against corruption. The Commission also used the occasions to
strengthen partnerships in the struggle against corruption at all levels. In
a similar vein, the International Anti-corruption Day was celebrated in most
of the regional states. The commemoration of the International
Anti-corruption Day is meant to bring the international community together
in the combat against corruption. While celebrating December 9 every year,
the international community should emphasize the need for a united front
against corruption. The whole purpose and intention of the celebration is to
synchronize and coordinate the efforts of the international community
against corruption. The annual celebration of the Day should, therefore,
serve this purpose. |
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Court
sentences, fines corrupt offenders The Court found Similarly, In a related development, the Court found Genet Tadesse, Former employee of Kebele 07/14, was found guilty of embezzling 18,514.06 Birr. It, as a result, sentenced her to five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined her 1,000 Birr. The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) filed the charges in 2008, it was learned. In a related development, the Federal High Court sentenced three corrupt offenders on November 16 and 17 to rigorous imprisonments ranging from 5-9 years and ordered them to pay from 1-15,000 Birr in fines. The Court found Similarly, In a related development, the Court found Genet Tadesse, Former employee of Kebele 07/14, was found guilty of embezzling 18,514.06 Birr. It, as a result, sentenced her to five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined her 1,000 Birr. The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) filed the charges in 2008, it was learned. |
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Court
Sentences, Fines Corruptors
The FEACC was hunting the
suspects on suspicion that they had evaded taxes. Then, the defendants
showed up and tried to bribe the investigator, who had been pursuing them,
with 150,000 Birr on the Commission's own premises, at which they were
caught red-handed on 27 March 2008. The arrest was made based
on the tip which the investigator provided on the suspects' premeditated
criminal acts that were intended to abort the on-going investigation and
pursuit, it was learned. Therefore, the Court,
before which the case was brought, sentenced The Commission re-affirmed that it would continue to keep a watchful eye on such acts, as with other corrupt practices, and to bring the perpetrators to justice. |
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FEACC
Successful in The Commissioner of the
Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia said the
commission has succeeded in making the anti-corruption drive a public
agenda. While holding discussion
with Mr. Skye S.Justice, Political/Economic Officer with the US Embassy
here on 12 November 2009, Commissioner Ali Sulaiman said the awareness
raising education the FEACC disseminating to the various cross-section
of the public via face-to-face education, electronic and print media as
well as its firm stand against corrupt individuals have helped the FEACC
to have the majority of the public on board in the fight against
corruption. He said the preventive
and curative actions taken by the FEACC in connection with illegal land
provision and acquisition in the Addis Ababa City Administration
particularly helped the FEACC to make its presence felt much better than
ever before. Apart from recovering a
great deal of land, the FEACC was able to bring scores of perpetrators
before justice in connection with illicit land grabbing in the
metropolis, the Commissioner said. The annual corruption
perception index issued by the Transparency International(TI)
undeservedly rates Ethiopia as highly corrupt country, Ali said, adding
that the perception index, by no means, represents the objective reality
on the ground. He said the identity and
motives of organizations or individuals who feed the information to the
TI and poor data handling and documentation on the part of On the occasion the Commissioner gave briefings from the things that necessitated the establishment of the FEACC to the approaches and challenges it has in preventing and combating corruption. |
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Former
Judge Gets Seven Years Behind Bars For Charges of Bribery The Federal Supreme
Court on 9 November 2009 sentenced Girma Teku, former judge of the
municipal court of the Addis Ababa City Administration, to seven years
of rigorous imprisonment and fined him 1000 birr, overturning the
verdict of the Federal High Court, which acquitted the offender earlier. The Federal Supreme
Court handed down the verdict after the Federal Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) appealed against the ruling of the
High Court. The charges pressed
against the convict read that while working as president of the 1st
Instance of municipal court, the offender in July 2007 asked, through a
third party, an individual that had a pending civil case to give him
50,000 birr in bribes in order to give verdict in favor of the
individual. Furthermore, the culprit
in October 2007 asked another individual 5,000 birr and finally took
2,300 birr in bribes so as to expedite decision in connection with a
dispute between the individual and the former Agency for the
Administration of Government Houses over overdue house rent. Thus after looking into the appeal file the Supreme Court rendering the ruling as the offender could not refute the charges brought against him. |
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Individuals
get up to ten years prison term for concealing documents According to the charges
pressed against them by the FEACC, After looking into the charges, the Court gave the first defendant ten years rigorous imprisonment in absentia whereas it gave the second defendant three years imprisonment and a fine of 500 birr. |
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Workshop in Germany showcases FEACC’s experience ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-A workshop organized by the University of Passau in Germany from 10 October to 17 October, 2009 showcased the preventive and curative measures the FEACC has taken relating to land administration in the Addis Ababa City Administration. Director of the FEACC’S Prevention Department, Ato Aklilu Mulugeta, on the occasion elaborated on the preventive and curative steps taken in connection with land administration in the city. He also explained the challenges the FEACC faced in the course of actions as well as the approaches it adopted to overcoming the challenges. Illicit land grabbing, which was once prevalent in the city, was reined in, thanks to synchronized efforts of the FEACC, the city administration and the public at large. In fact, FEACC’s pre-emptive and curative actions with regard to illegal land provision and acquisition earned it appreciation by many. Conducted under the theme “The Economics of Corruption”, the workshop discussed methods of corruption diagnostics, prevention and reform, incorporating political economy theories and empirical research. The workshop brought together some 100, scholars, academics and postgraduate students. |
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Higher learning institutions urged to give heed to cultivation of ethical students ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)- Deputy Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC), H.E. Ato Addisu Mengistu, urged higher learning institutions to pay as equal attention to cultivation of ethical students as they pay to cultivation of knowledgeable and skilled students. Opening a two-day workshop held at Hawasa University on 24 October 2009 under the theme, “Let Us Fight Impropriety to Enhance Good Governance” he said unless students are equipped both with ethical values and academic knowledge, they, when placed in a job, are very likely to go against the existing civil service direction, which states civil servants are there to serve public interest, not their own interest. Thus higher learning institutions need to ensure that their students are not only knowledgeable and skilled but also well behaved, Addisu said. On the other hand, higher learning institutions should keep a wary eye on their institutions to prevent corruption, the D/Commissioner said, adding that if a higher learning institution is corrupt, it will send a wrong message to the youths and the new generation. President of the Hawasa University, Dr. Admasu Tsegaye, on his part urged the academic and administrative staff to remain vigilant to ensure that the huge resource the University mobilizes go to the anticipated purpose. On the occasion D/Commissioner Addisu Mengistu briefed the participants on the FEACC achievements and way forward. Similarly, Director of Ethics Education with the FEACC, Ato Berhanu Assefa, presented a paper that deals with ethical problems and corruption in the education sector, solutions as well as role of higher learning institutions in the fight against corruption. Co-organized by the Hawasa University and the FEACC, the workshop brought together some 120 academic and administrative staff of the university. The Hawasa University, which has recently begun implementing the Business Process Reengineering, has currently enrolled 22,000 students altogether. |
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FEACC, Sudanese Civil Service Commission hold discussion ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) and the National Civil Service Commission of the Sudan on 28 October 2009 held discussion on issues of mutual interest. During the occasion the Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E. Ato Ali Sulaiman, briefed the Sudanese delegation on the FEACC organizational structure, achievements, challenges and way forward. Deputy Commissioner of the Sudanese Civil Service Commission, Professor Ahmed Ibrahim Abusin, on his part, hailed the political will the Ethiopian Government demonstrating to the fight against corruption Professor Abusin, who is also head of the Sudanese delegation, was impressed by the independence of the FEACC. The delegation also applauded the Ethiopian Government for ratifying the UN Convention Against Corruption and the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption. Members of the FEACC management responded to various questions raised by the Sudanese delegation. Similarly, Commissioner Ali held talks with the delegation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) here on 22 October 2009. Commissioner Ali on the occasion gave briefings on the overall activities and challenges of the FEACC. He also told the delegation the areas where the FEACC seeks technical assistance from the UNODC. The delegation commended the effort being deployed to get ratified the draft bills providing for the Registration and Declaration of Assets and Financial Interests as well as the draft bill of Whistleblowers and Witnesses Protection Act. |
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Commission, religious institutions establish joint forum The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) and various religious institutions established a joint forum at a workshop held here on 3 September 2009. Opening the founding workshop, FEACC Deputy Commissioner, Addisu Mengistu, said that the joint forum is a vital instrument to formulate various new techniques and strategies to spread ethics and anti-corruption education among their followers. “The forum is believed to assist the Commission by actively participating in the national anti-corruption struggle, “he added. Deputy Commissioner Addisu further noted that the establishment of the forum is a step forward in the collaboration between the FEACC and religious institutions. Members of the forum are expected to build their implementation capacity, support each other and share experience to identify obstacles and recommend ways and means to address the problems, he said. Representatives of religious institutions also reaffirmed their readiness to back the country’s anti-corruption effort by coordinating and educating their followers, especially the youth. Participants of the workshop discussed and enriched the draft manual of the forum and also elected the Ethiopian Catholic Church as Deputy Chair. The FEACC has become the Chair of the forum. The participants of the workshop were drawn from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Catholic Church, the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane-Yesus and the Ethiopian Evangelical Churches Union |
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National Anti-Corruption Coalition Formed A National Anti-Corruption Coalition that aims to intensify the anti-corruption drive in the country was officially formed at the conclusion of a two-day founding conference held here in the capital from 2 July to 3 July 2009. Opening the founding conference, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Ato Girma Woldegiorgis said forming a national anti-corruption coalition to fight corruption proved effective in various countries. He underscored such effort would only be successful by ensuring the participation of all segments of the society. The President pledged the government’s unreserved support to help the Coalition meet its goals and objectives. Having discussed and made some amendments on the draft charter providing for the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Coalition, the participants elected a 13-member Executive Committee. During the occasion, two papers entitled “Best Practices of Anti-Corruption Struggle” and “The Need for National Anti-Corruption Coalition” were presented and discussed. The Coalition members also adopted a six-point resolution. In the resolution, they expressed commitment to enhance public participation in the fight against corruption. In his closing remarks, Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E. Ato Ali Sulaiman, reaffirmed the FEACC’s readiness to closely work with the Coalition. He also called on all stakeholders and the public at large to rally behind the Coalition. Synopsis of the Coalition The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the vanguard anti-corruption institution in the country, has been harnessing the efforts of organizations active in the fight against corruption. One of such instances is the series of joint forums formed between the FEACC and regional anti-corruption institutions, the media, civic associations, professional associations, chamber of commerce and sectoral associations and law enforcement agencies. It is the conviction of the FEACC that such bilateral forums be elevated to the next level with one national vision in addressing corruption. This has called for the formation of a National Anti-Corruption Coalition. Formed in the presence of close to 300 stakeholders and partners, the Coalition comprised government departments, civil society organizations, the private sector and opposition political parties. The civil society organizations have taken the lion share of representation (48%) in the Coalition. The private sector also constituted a significant representation in the Coalition. The civil society organizations, the private sector and opposition political parties as a whole constituted 68.5 percent of the total number of seats in the Coalition. This is a clear illustration that these groups have influential roles to play in the overall activities of the Coalition. As provided in the Establishment Proclamation, the FEACC is duty-bound to lead and coordinate all anti-corruption efforts exerted by members of the Coalition. It, therefore, serves as a permanent secretariat of the Coalition. The Coalition is expected to: ü Enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the national anti-corruption struggle. ü Strengthen the institutionalization, systematization and accommodativeness of the national anti-corruption movement. ü Enhance the participation of members of the Coalition in the national struggle against corruption. ü Pave the way for putting in place a national anti-corruption strategy that accommodates, governs and guides all anti-corruption efforts by all stakeholders. ü Encourage regional governments to follow suit and facilitate the establishment of similar coalitions in their respective states. |
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EX-legal experts of CBE convicted FEACC (ADDIS ABABA)-The 1st Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court on 11 June 2009 sentenced two ex-legal experts of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) to eight years of rigorous imprisonment each and fined them each 10,000 birr while their accomplice got eight years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 birr. The Court handed down the verdict on Habtamu Petros Hailegiorgis, ex legal expert of the CBE (1st defendant), Yared Dechasa Mulatu, who was also a legal expert at CBE (2nd defendant) and Muhaba Sherif Siraj(3rd defendant). The ex-legal experts of the CBE connived with the third defendant to help the latter illicitly withdraw 664,541 birr from 1,257,007 birr frozen by court order in connection with disputes among heirs of the late Degife Gebremeskel Guzimu, who deposited the sum at the CBE. While they had the full knowledge that the court had frozen the sum in a letter written to the CBE on 27 June 2007, the two legal experts of CBE with the intention of illegally helping the third defendant gain unduly and causing loss against the CBE, ordered the CBE to pay for the third defendant a sum of 644,541 birr from the 1,257,007 birr deposited by the late Degife. The third defendant, on his part, while knowing that the he was not entitled to the sum of money, used a fake name and counterfeit court order requesting the CBE to pay the third defendant 661,541 birr from the already frozen sum of money. As the defendants failed to refute the charges brought against them, the Court gave the aforementioned verdict. |
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Man gets over two years behind bars for forgery FEACC (ADDIS ABABA)-A man found guilty of forging important documents was sentenced to two and half years of imprisonment by the 1st Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court on 29 May 2009. The convict by the name Tsegaye Merach with the intention of getting undue advantage for himself and other forged stamps of various government offices, the charge filed against the offender reads. The convict, for instance, produced a forged stamp of a certain kebele administration in Kolfe-Keraniyo sub-city of the metropolis. He also prepared a forged certificate of General Winget College here in the capital. |
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Corruptor gets six years behind bars for abuse of power, maladministration FEACC (ADDIS ABABA)-The 1st Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court on 5 June 2009 gave Solomon Hailu Welle, former Legal Service Head of Yeka Sub-City Administration of the metropolis, six years of rigorous imprisonment and 5,000 birr in fines for abuse of power and maladministration. The charges filed against him by the FEACC relates the convict, in direct contravention of the Addis Ababa City’s land administration regulations, issued title deed for certain individuals on 75,000 square meters of land (worth at the current lease price 249,075,000 birr) with the full knowledge that the plot belongs to the government. Moreover, the convict gave recognition to an illegal residential house cooperative named “Bure Aertu No. 1 Residential House Cooperative”, which approached the sub-city for issuance of title deed on 35,000 square meters of plot. Still more, the convict while working as Acting Head of the Sub-City’s Infrastructure and Housing Affairs Office gave temporary construction license for a certain PLC to construct shops and warehouse on highway side when it was not the jurisdiction of sub-city. |
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Former EEPCo cashier convicted for misappropriating funds FEACC (ADDIS ABABA)-Mekonnon Edris Hassan,former cashier of Asela District with the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo), on 2 June 2009 was sentenced to four and half years of rigorous imprisonment and fined 10,000 birr for misappropriating public funds. According to charges pressed against him by the FEACC, the convict deposited in Asela branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, only 39,263 birr from 369,266 birr collected in electricity bills and other revenues, reducing close to 330,000 birr. Furthermore, while working in the same capacity, the convict, with the intention of gaining undue advantage, concealed 2,633 birr from unspecified amount of money sent to the District for operational activities. The court gave the above mentioned verdict as the accused failed to refute the evidence brought against him. |
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Corruptors receive jail terms, fines FEACC (ADDIS ABABA)-The Federal High Court on 5 June 2009 sentenced two individuals to three years rigorous imprisonment each and fined each 2,000 birr for trying to leave the country illegally with the help of two former employees of the Ethiopian Air Lines (EAL). The convicts, namely Samson Arefeayne Belay and Negsti Haregewine Tasew were caught red-handed while trying to fly to London with fake passports by conspiring with two EAL employees, who have already been convicted. The Court that was handling the case had earlier handed down verdict on the two EAL employees and acquitted the-now-convicted passengers. The prosecutor of the FEACC, however, lodged an appeal with the Federal Supreme Court against the verdict handed down on those acquitted. Having examined the appeal, the Supreme Court confirmed those acquitted were actually involved in the corruption offense the two EAL employees were found guilty of. The Supreme Court, therefore, overturned the decision passed on the two passengers and decided they must defend themselves. However, the accused could not appear before the court to defend themselves despite repeated calls made and they were unavailable in their addresses. By considering the Supreme Court’s decision and taking for granted the failure of the accused to appear before court as unwillingness on their part to defend themselves, the Court handed down the above mentioned verdict. |
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Forum calls on courts to play vital role in anti-corruption drive ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Joint Consultation Forum of the National Anti-Corruption Authorities and Relevant Bodies has called on courts to play vital role in the fight against corruption. The call was made at the conclusion of the 6th Joint Consultation Forum of the National Anti-Corruption Authorities and Relevant Bodies convened in Jimma town of the Oromia Regional Government from 21-23 May 2009. The participants of the Forum underscored the significance of active participation of courts in the crusade against corruption. It was indicated that the courts were lenient with corruptors over the past years though signs of improvement have been witnessed lately. Speaking on the occasion the Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, H.E. Ato Ali Sulaiman said properties and cash worth 62, 765, 900 birr were restrained through court order. He, however, said courts are in some cases imposing prison terms and fines that do not correspond to the damages corruptors caused. The Commissioner thus urged the courts to contribute their share in the efforts being exerted to prevent and combat corruption. Commissioner of the Oromia Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Foziya Amin, on her part said the Regional State has been expanding public education by focusing on women and youths. She said preparation was made to open branch offices in Jimma, Adama, Shashemene and Chiro towns. The Gambella Regional Government was selected to host the next Joint Consultation Forum of the National Anti-Corruption Authorities and Relevant Bodies. |
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CoST national executive committee launches operation The national executive committee of the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) has officially launched its work. The committee, which is composed of ten members drawn from the government, construction sector and the civil society organization, has sent workplan and budget requirement approved by the Multi Stakeholder Group to the International CoST Secretariat and received feedback. Work on developing specification to purchase office facilities is well underway, according to Bekure Ketema, Secretary of the national executive committee of CoST. Similarly, a bank account has already been opened and Terms of Reference for the executive committee and employees was developed. On the other hand, H.E. Ato Ali Sulaiman, who is CoST champion, will be heading to Dare Selam, Tanzania leading a delegation in order to pay a working visit from May 27-30, 2009. Tanzania is one of the pilot countries of CoST. Other CoST pilot countries include Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia, UK, Philippines and Vietnam. |
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FEACC’s 9-month performance encouraging ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) accomplished most of the activities it set to execute over the past nine months of the Ethiopian budget year. According to its nine-month performance report, the Commission has already entered the implementation phase after finalizing the Business Process Reengineering (BPR) of its support processes. As far as public education is concerned, the FEACC offered training to 653 trainees on the concept of ethics and corruption, corruption prevention strategies as well as anti-corruption provisions. Furthermore, various publications treating the above topics were distributed to the target audience while television and radio spots were aired via the media. As to corruption prevention, the FEACC launched system study on 37 activities. Work on data collection, organization and analysis of 33 activities has been completed. Reports on 20 activities have been developed and forwarded to the subject offices, while draft reports have been developed on 10 activities. Similarly, the FEACC monitored the implementation of its recommendation in five public offices and public enterprises whose system study was conducted before the 2000 Ethiopian budget year. On the other hand, the FEACC has already launched monitoring on 38 activities whose system was examined beginning the 2000 Ethiopian budget year .Out of which, work on monitoring 17 activities has been concluded. As far as investigation of corruption offenses is concerned, the FEACC received 1795 tips-off from the public out of which 951 tips were found to fall under the FEACC’s jurisdiction. During the period under review, 252 files were investigated, out of which 151 files were forwarded to the Prosecution Department of the FEAC C. As to restraining of property, the FEACC, by Court order, restrained 348,970 square meters of land in the Addis Ababa City Administration and in the Oromiya Regional State. The estimated value of 249,879 square meters of land was reckoned at 578,055,665 birr. Estimated value of 99,081 square meters of land was being calculated. In addition, the FEACC restrained 12 vehicles, 20 residential houses and froze 386,001.76 birr deposited in a bank. A share worth 173,000 birr was also put to the same effect. With regards to prosecution, the FEACC charged suspects with corruption offenses in 85 new files. During the period under review, the Court ruled on 33 files, of which 28 files were ruled in favor of the FEACC. On the other hand, joint forums were formed between the FEACC and the media, professional associations, civic associations as well as Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations. The FEACC made everything in its capacity to table in parliament various draft bills, like code of conduct of civil servants and political appointees, the Registration and Declaration of Assets and Financial Interests, Whistleblowers and Witnesses Protection Act as well as Citizens Charter. As to budget spending, the FEACC spent 8,574,600 birr from the budget earmarked to it by the government. Furthermore, it utilized 6,374,427 birr from funds obtained from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). |
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Court rules on fate of exhibit ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal High Court has ruled for the return of 65,627 birr, which the FEACC seized as exhibit, to the Ministry of Defense. The FEACC collected the sum from National Defense former members, whom it indicted for breach of trust and forgery. The Court made the decision after the FEACC had requested the former to pass decision on the fate of the exhibit. It is to be recalled that the Court on 9 May 2008 gave seven former members of the Ministry of Defense jail terms ranging from 7-18 years. Among the convicts, Second Lieutenant Dereje Legdi, who was a treasurer at the Ministry, siphoned off 1,322,006 birr. Other convicts misappropriated a lot of money by preparing counterfeit financial documents.. |
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Former employees of Authority receive 3-5 years prison terms, fines ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal High Court recently sentenced four former employees at the Land Administration Authority of the Addis Ababa City Administration to five years rigorous imprisonment and fined them 5,000 birr each for abusing power while it gave another employee three years of rigorous imprisonment. The convicts are Tesfaye Biru, former manager of overdue projects, Kaleb Kibret, former head of plot and house administration department, Tilahun Girma, former deputy manager of land administration, Bekele Teklu, former head of ownership information department and Colonel Tefera Yimam, former architecture planner. According to the charges brought against them by the FEACC, an individual named Kassa Gebremariam, who had leased 28, 694 square meters of plot from the Ministry of Mines and Energy in 1984 E.C, refused to return the stated plot upon termination of the contract in 1986.Instead he grabbed additional plot of land and demanded that plan be issued for him for part of the plots. As a result, the convicts issued plan for 2000 square meters of plot and masterminded the leasing of the remaining plots in direct contravention of lease regulation and guideline. All in all, of the over 32,000 square meters of land Kassa acquired illicitly (it is worth over 15 million birr), Kassa sold out some while illegally undertook construction over the remaining plots. The Court, thus, found the convicts guilty of complicity in the crime. |
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Former constable gets two years behind bars ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Dire Dawa City Administration High Court on 20 February 2009 sentenced former constable at the District 6 Police Station of the Administration to two years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him 500 birr. According to charges pressed against him by the FEACC, the convict, Constable Kefalegn Debebe, had concealed 100 birr from 1,100 stolen birr he was able to recover after a man, whose money was stolen sought his help. Furthermore, the convict demanded the victim to give him 50 birr in return for recovering his stolen money and received the same. After looking into the charges, the Court found the convict guilty of the two counts of charges and handed down the verdict mentioned above. |
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FEACC senior management members confer with TI officials ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)_Senior management members of the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) conferred with Mrs. Hugguette Labelle, Board Chairperson of Transparency International (TI) and Ms. Rima Al-Azar, TI Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East on 5 March 2009. The TI officials, who are on working visit to assess the performance of TI Chapters in Eastern Africa, commended the FEACC on forging close partnership and collaboration with the national TI Chapter. Commissioner of the FEACC briefed the officials on the various activities the FEACC has accomplished since its establishment. During the discussion, FEACC management members said Corruption Perception Index, which is released by TI annually unfairly ranks Ethiopia among corrupt countries. TI officials on their part indicated that the data employed for developing corruption perception index are collected from the World Bank, Freedom House as well as 16 other international organizations. They said that it would be hard to consider the index as perfect, adding that preparations are in pipeline to make future rating as fair as possible. The two sides also exchanged views on how to enhance their relations and partnerships. |
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Commissioner holds discussion with CoST international advisory group chairman ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E. Ato Ali Sulaiman held discussion with a delegation led by Mr. Christiaan J. Poortman, Chairman of the International Advisory Group of the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) on 24 February 2009. The purpose of the delegation’s visit to Ethiopia, which has become a pilot country of CoST, was to raise the awareness of stakeholders on CoST as well as extend technical assistance in the preparation of work plan and budget requirements to implement the pilot phase. During the discussion, Commissioner Ali said the lion’s share of Ethiopia’s annual budget went to the Construction Sector, adding that CoST’s approach to corruption prevention in the construction sector through ensuring transparency was a wise tactic. He noted that shared stakeholder commitment to transparency and accountability, which was the fundamental principle that underpinned CoST, was an essential strategy to make the fight against corruption in the construction sector a success. He also assured the delegation Ethiopia’s strong commitment to the implementation of the Initiative. Mr. Poortman, on his part, said significant proportion of construction expenditures were actually wasted in the form of corruption. He expressed belief that as one of the seven pilot countries of CoST, Ethiopia would play an important role in tasting out as well as formulating the results of this pilot phase. The delegation also held separate and joint meetings with senior officials of the Ministry of Works and Urban Development, the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Public Procurement Agency as well as the Ethiopian Roads Authority, among others. Furthermore, it had discussion with Multi Stockholder Group (MSG) consisting of representatives from the Government, the private sector and the civil society organizations. The work plan and budget requirement are expected to be approved by the MSG and the International Secretariat before implementation. Ethiopia, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Vietnam, Philippines and UK are the seven pilot countries of CoST. Cost is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and implemented in partnership with the World Bank, with an international secretariat providing on-going support to all pilot countries. |
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Commission, Chamber of Commerce, Sectorial Associations form joint forum ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) and the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectorial Associations established a joint forum on 25 February 2009. The move is part of the Commission’s efforts to involve non-state actors in the fight against corruption. Deputy Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E.Ato Addisu Mengistu, on the occasion said the anti-corruption drive could not come to fruition unless all segments of the society joined forces. He said the roles of the Chamber of Commerce and Sectorial Associations in this regard was enormous as they were in charge of coordinating institutions the were involved in supplying the public basic commodities and services. Addisu urged Chamber of Commerce and Sectorial Associations to work in close collaboration and partnership with the Commission to disseminate ethics and anti-corruption education, expose corruption offenses and other relevant activities. As stipulated in the joint forum establishment statute, the FEACC and the Sectorial Associations would assume chairmanship and Deputy Chairmanship positions of the Forum respectively. It is to be recalled that the FEACC and federal government institutions engaged particularly in activities of ensuring the rule of law had already formed the joint forum. Several similar forums constituting the FEACC and civil society organizations, the FEACC and the media, the FEACC and professional associations as well as the FEACC and civic associations were formed. |
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FEACC participates in expert meeting assessing anti-corruption efforts across Africa ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-A delegation led by the Deputy Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E. Ato Addisu Mengistu took part in Ad-hoc Expert Meeting on “Assessing the Efficiency and Impact of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in Africa” held in Kigali, Rwanda from 16th to 17th February 2009. The meeting was aimed at assessing the efficiency and impact of national anti-corruption institutions in Africa and exploring ways of strengthening their capacity. During the occasion, the participants reviewed a study on “Assessing the Efficiency and Impact of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in Africa”. The study, prepared by the Governance and Public Administration Division (GPAD) with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), presents a thorough examination of the activities of national anti-corruption institutions across the continent. The study looks at the scale, dimension and nature of the problem of corruption in Africa. It also reviews international instruments and frameworks on anti-corruption, including the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, as well as other major international, regional and sub-regional instruments at combating corruption. The achievement made in the areas of investigation and prosecution of corruption offences is also highlighted in the study. The study also deals with problems encountered in the fight against corruption and suggests measures at solving them. Participants gave briefing on challenges their respective anti-corruption institutions faced in the process of performing their functions and outlined areas where they were confronted with capacity constraints. Furthermore, the participants dwelt on challenges they faced in an effort to domesticate provisions stipulated in international instruments, particularly in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption. Organized by GPAD as part of its anti-corruption programme, the Expert Meeting brought together heads of national anti-corruption institutions, leading civil society actors, policy makers, sub-regional, regional and international institutions working on corruption in Africa, academics and the media. |
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Corruptors receive jail terms, fines ADDIS ABABA (FEACC) - The Federal High Court on 30 January 2009 gave Tamirat Hundie Megersa, ex-officer of code enforcement at the Yeka Sub-city of the metropolis a year behind bars and a fine of 500 birr for bribery. The convict was caught red-handed while receiving 1,700 birr which he demanded by intimidating four residents of the sub-city he claimed to have held illegal plots. After looking into the charge, the Court found the convict guilty of receiving bribe. In a related development, ex-guards at the Road Transport Office of the Dire Dawa Administration were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment each for stealing spare parts of a vehicle they were supposed to take care of. The Federal High Court on 9 February 2009 gave Melaku Gezahegn and Wube Mamo two years behind bars each as they failed to defend themselves against the charge Similarly, the Federal High Court on 22 February 2009 sentenced Sultan Redin Abegaz, former head of Addisu Gebeya branch with Commercial Nominees PLC, to five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him 4,000 birr for misappropriating over 62,000 birr, which he was given to pay for pensioners. The Court handed down the verdict after the convict failed to refute the charge brought against him by the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC). |
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FEACC participates in anti-corruption meeting ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC), H.E. Ato Ali Sulaiman took part in anti-corruption meeting held in Gaborone, Botswana from January 22-23, 2009. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss development fraud and corruption trends in Africa and globally, exchange experiences, share lessons learned about successful and not-so-successful strategies and forge stronger alliance to achieve transformative progress in fighting fraud and corruption across the continent. Ensuring that development funds are used for their intended purposes remains a continuing challenge both in Africa and elsewhere, according to the World Bank sources. The Bank Group, to this end, has established mechanisms to minimize fraud and corruption in its own activities and to respond swiftly and effectively when fraud or corruption occurs in Bank-financed operations. The Bank’s lending to the African continent is expected to reach 7 billion USD this year, the sources said. Held on the theme of “Advancing the Fight against Fraud and Corruption in Africa: Progress and Prospects, the meeting brought together pertinent officials from around 16 African countries including Ethiopia. The meeting was jointly hosted by the World Bank Group’s Integrity Vice Presidency and the Africa Region Vice Presidency. |
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Court gives up to 7 years imprisonment ADDIS ABABA (FEACC) -The Dire Dawa criminal bench with the Federal High Court on 9 January 2009 sentenced five former employees of the Dire Dawa branch with the Wholesale Trading and Distribution Enterprise and one merchant to 1-7 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined them up to 20,000 birr. The convicts were found guilty of selling out over 1900 quintals of sugar that were supposed to be disbursed among residents of the Dire Dawa City Administration and other institutions. As a result, the court gave former manager of the branch, Samuel Dejenie, seven years rigorous imprisonment and fined him 20,000 birr while Bogale Mekonon, who was assigned to take delivery of sugar from Methara Sugar Factory and Eskiyas Taye, a merchant and an accomplice , each got six years behind bars and fined 10,000 birr. Azeb Alemayehu, ex-head of the branch’s warehouse, was sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment and was fined 2,000 birr. Amelework Yohannes, former cashier of the branch and Endris Abdulkadir, former treasurer of the branch were each given one year rigorous imprisonment and fined 1000 birr. |
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Alleged Fugitive corruptor apprehended ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-Abebe Weldehana Guya, who had been hunted by the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) for committing serious fraud and corruption offenses, was arrested and extradited from Sudan on 14 January 2009. Abebe connived with Elias Sirur Mohammed (first defendant), who had worked at the Emergency Food Reserve Administration as a treasurer from 9 May 2001 to 10 February 2006, and misappropriated 5,794,175.Birr (five million seven hundred and ninety four thousand one hundred and seventy five Birr) of government money. The first defendant, who is still at large, withdrew the stated sum from the National Bank of Ethiopia and deposited it in Abebe’s bank account at the NIB International Bank by falsely claiming that grain was purchased from Abebe’s grain outlet. Actually, Abebe did not have any grain supply firm. Elias was able to transfer the sum by taking advantage of a delegation accorded to him by his office to withdraw money from the National Bank of Ethiopia. He put names and imitative signatures of heads of his office to write a cheque with the intention of gaining undue advantage for himself and for the second defendant. The FEACC had earlier called on the suspects via the media to submit themselves to it and also urged the public to tip the FEACC the whereabouts of the suspects. Despite the call, the suspects chose to remain in hideout. Abebe was, however, arrested after a tip-off provided by a Sudan-based Ethiopian, who watched the picture of the fugitive in a public announcement made by the FEACC. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information and Intelligence Services, Interpol Main Department with the Federal Police as well as the Government of Sudan played a significant role in the manhunt and extradition. The arrest of the suspect is a clear illustration of the government’s unwavering commitment to fight corruption and the fact that corruptors could not get away with their evil acts. The FEACC would like to urge the general public to continue to tip the FEACC in the effort to apprehend the first defendant.. |
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Ethiopia joins the construction sector transparency initiative (CoST) Addis Ababa (FEACC) December 22, 2008-The Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC), H.E Mr. Ali Suleyman, announced on 22 December 2008 that Ethiopia would sign up to the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (Cost). According to the Commissioner, Ethiopia will join six other countries to implement a two-year pilot phase of the programme which is designed to reduce corruption and enhance the effectiveness of public sector infrastructure projects. Well-managed public sector infrastructure projects could make a major contribution to economic growth and poverty reduction, said the Commissioner, adding that new infrastructure and buildings of all kinds are vital to improving public services and peoples’ livelihoods. Billions of dollars of public money, often in the form of long-term loans, are being invested in infrastructure year on year globally, according to him. Mismanagement and corruption during planning, implementation and monitoring of construction projects could undermine the expected social and economic benefits of these investments, he explained. “Ethiopia is spending billions of birr on infrastructure development and that makes the need to protect the construction sector from corruption even more important and urgent,” he emphasized. According to him, the pilot phase of CoST will test a multi-stakeholder approach to increasing transparency and accountability in the delivery of the construction projects. It is expected that the release of key project information will lead to better quality infrastructure and better value for money, helping economic growth and reducing poverty. Ethiopia would be fully committed to implementing CoST’s programmes and ensuring transparency and accountability in the public construction sector in collaboration and partnership with the other member countries, the Commissioner underscored. The Commissioner said that Government, construction sector and civil society would work together to improve the efficiency, quality, and cost of public sector construction projects in Ethiopia and internationally. Cost is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and implemented in partnership with the World Bank, with an international secretariat providing on-going support to all pilot countries. |
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Commission arrests six individuals for allegedly involving in forgery ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) arrested six individuals for allegedly involving in preparing forged documents of over 50 governmental and private institutions. Commission Ethics Education and Public Relations Department Director, Ato Berhanu Assefa , said four employees of the Federal Transport Authority, a manger of a private printing enterprise and a broker are among the people who were arrested by the Commission. The Commission was able to hold various forged seals and documents of public and private institutions, religious institutions, associations, private companies and regional organizations. Various forged education documents, including doctorate degrees, business and driving licenses were seized from the offenders.. Employees of the Federal Transport Authority were involved in the offense by creating linkage with the printing press, the director said, adding that they were also allegedly involved in producing and concealing of fake documents. Investigations made by the Commission confirmed that various fake educational credentials, business and driving licenses, medical doctorate degrees and other counterfeit documents prepared here and abroad are used by several offenders. The director thus urged governmental and private institutions to verify documents well while dealing with them. He also called on the public to prevent the crime by reporting such acts to the Commission. |
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Corrupt civil servant sent to jail ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Supreme Court of the Amhara Regional State on 9 December 2008 jailed Adane Andargie Yimam, former service head of Branch No. 1 with the Bahir Dar Electric Power District, for two and half years for forgery and abuse of power. According to the charge filed by the FEACC, the convict was found guilty as he deleted with fluid signature of Genet Assefa, his colleague, from an attendance list and alleged that she was off duty. Furthermore, while knowing that she was given a sick leave, the culprit accused her of wasting working hours. In so doing, the convict deducted seven days salary from Genet as a fine, the charge reads. As a result, the Court sentenced him to two and half years of prison term as he was unable to refute the charges pressed against him. |
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Commission set to increasingly involve public in anti-corruption campaign ADDIS ABABA (ENA)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) said it has put in place a system enabling the public participate in the fight against corruption. Commissioner Ali Sulaiman said that the Commission has been striving to enable the public actively participate in the anti-corruption campaign. Commissioner Ali was speaking at a public gathering organized by the Commission on 13 December 2008 in connection with the International Anti-Corruption Day. He said the public have been contributing in the efforts to expose corruption. The aim of the gathering was to collect public opinion on activities being carried out by the Commission, find new ideas enabling to strengthen the fight against corruption and raise awareness of the public on activities of the Commission, among others. Director of Ethics Education and Public Relations Department with the Commission, Ato Berhanu Assefa on his part said the Commission has been working to enable the public become aware of the negative impacts of corruption. The Commission had received 3,000 tips during the past Ethiopian budget year. The public are expected to further provide tips to the Commission, he said. |
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Commissioner stresses need to enhance good governance by fighting corruption ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption, H.E Ato Ali Sulaiman underlined the need to intensify the anti-corruption effort in a bid to augment good governance. Giving a press conference on 5 December 2008 in connection with the International Anti-Corruption Day, Commissioner Ali said this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day celebration was unique in that it was being celebrated at a time when the government of Ethiopia was stepping up efforts to enhance good governance. He further said the fact that the Day was being celebrated in the wake of the ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption by the government also made the celebration unique. Since its establishment the FEACC has registered positive achievements in the fight against corruption, the Commissioner said. The FEACC was able to attract the public to rally behind its noble cause, the Commissioner said, adding that the FEACC has already made the anti-corruption drive a public agenda. Preparations are in full swing to conduct corruption survey for the second time, according to the Commissioner. A draft anti-corruption policy, which was believed to scale up the anti-corruption drive, was also being tabled, Ali added. A diagnostic study conducted in the construction sector in Ethiopia by the World Bank revealed there was a marked difference in perception between international and domestic stakeholders towards corruption, the Commissioner said. Despite the marked differences in perception, levels of corruption in Ethiopia are significantly lower both in frequency and scale, the Commissioner said quoting the study. |
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Commission, Civic Associations Establish Joint Forum The Federal Ethics and Anticorruption and 15 civic associations have established a joint cooperation and consultation forum in a meeting they held at Imperial Hotel on December 03, 2008. The joint forum was formed with a view to fighting corruption with the active participation of all members of civic associations. The establishment of the joint forum is also believed to help strengthen the role of individual members of civic associations in the fight against corruption by encouraging them to rally behind the noble cause of the FEACC. Deputy Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission Ato Addissu Mengistu on the occasion said that the role of civic associations against corruption was pivotal. The world tends to be skeptical of the effectiveness of the anticorruption derive in the absence of the full participation of civic associations, according to the deputy Commissioner As civic associations are believed to be non-patricians and active at the grassroots level, their role in the fight against corruption is tremendous. He also said that in order for the civic associations win the trust of the public and provide the required service to those in need, they have to fight corruption as it is a major impediment that thwarts the efforts exerted to respect the rights and interests of its members. After hearing briefings made by the director of the Department for the Coordination of Ethics Infrastructure with the Commission and making amendments on some articles, the participants adopted the final draft regulation of the forum. According to the adopted regulation, the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission assumes the position of the chairmanship and the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions has been elected to take on the position of the vice chairmanship. |
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FEACC
arrests eight individuals for alleged involvement in telecom scam The Federal Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia has apprehended eight
individuals, including a foreigner, for
allegedly providing telecom services using devices that are banned from
entering the country. The suspects, who were
put under control during a hunt conducted from 19-21 November 2008,
allegedly made international calls without the recognition and
permission of the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC).In so
doing, the suspects amassed considerable sum in foreign and local
currencies that could have otherwise collected by ETC. According to the
Investigation Department of the FEACC, four of the suspects are the
major actors in the unscrupulous act while the remaining four are in one
way or another linked with the crime. The fact that one of the
suspects is a foreigner indicates the scale of the crime and the danger
it poses to the national security. It is recalled that the FEAC C had
earlier arrested a South Korean in connection with similar telecom scam. The suspects, who
appeared in court on 21 November 2008, used to provide the services in
nine areas here in the capital using internet and computer training
centers as well as various offices as cover-up. Investigations are
underway to arrest other suspects who had a hand in the crime. The FEACC would like to urge the general public to cooperate with it in hunting down other suspects implicated in the crime and refrain from using such illegal service as it causes significant losses on the government and even worse endangers the national security. |
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Addis Ababa-(FEACC)-The
First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court gave prison terms
ranging from one and half to 10 years plus cash fines to five
individuals convicted of illegal land provision here in the
metropolis. The
charge filed by the FEACC stated that the five convicts, all former
employees of the Gulelle sub-city administration, put their hands in
the illicit provision of over 27,000 hectares of land for individuals
who were not organized in accordance with the appropriate
condominium-organization regulations. The
land illegally provided to these individuals is valued at over 13.5
million Birr, calculated by the current lease price, the charge says. As
the convicts failed to defend themselves against the charge, the court
on November 5, 2008 gave the 1st convict, Kifle Eshete, who
was land development team leader and engineer with the sub-city, nine
years of rigorous imprisonment and 2,500 Birr fine. The
penalty he received includes the prison term he is already serving for
a previous conviction. Similarly,
Shiferaw Asgedom, the 2nd convict in the same file, got one
and half years of rigorous imprisonment. Shiferaw was previously
working as house and land contract execution head with the sub city. The
court also gave the 3rd convict, Tareke Nurgi, who was land
holding contract registration officer with the sub-city, 10 years of
rigorous imprisonment and 2,500 Birr in fine. The
penalty he received includes the punishment he is already serving for
another conviction. Similarly,
the 4th convict Desalegn Abate, who was surveyor at the sub
city, got eight years behind bars and 2000 Birr in fine. Mesganaw
Seid, who appeared before the court as 5th convict in the
same file, was also sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment. The 4th and 5th convicts were working as surveyor and associations’ promotion acting team leader with the Gullele sub city administration, respectively. |
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FEACC
takes part in 3rd IAACA annual
conference Addis Ababa-FEACC- October 16, 2008- A
delegation led by Deputy Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC), H.E. Ato Addisu Mengistu, attended
the 3rd Annual Conference and General Meeting of the
International Association of Anti- Corruption Authorities (IAACA) held
from October 3 to 6, 2008 in Kiev, Ukraine. The conference organized
under the theme “Criminalization and Law Enforcement measures” has
the objective of facilitating implementation of the United Nations
Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). Sideline workshops on
constituent elements of corruption offense in the public and private
sectors, evolution and challenges of criminalization, co-operative
relationship among anti-corruption agencies, international cooperation
in tracing and recovering assets obtained through corruption, as well
as protection of witnesses, experts and victims were held as part of
the grand conference, the Deputy Commissioner indicated. The FEACC had the chance
to present a paper that
focused on corruption and the private sector, the Deputy Commissioner
said and noted that taking part in the conference was a good
opportunity for the FEACC to further spearhead the anti-corruption
battle in the country. The conference has
provided the participants with a remarkable chance to discuss and draw
lessons from each others experience with a determined aim of combating
corruption more effectively, so as to assist the implementation of the
UNCAC, according to the Deputy Commissioner. More than 120 member
states of the UN have so far ratified the UNCAC, Addisu said and
underlined that the move was appreciated during the conference as a
reflection of the growing global commitment to combat corruption. Election of member
states that would fill vacant seats at the IAACA executive committee
was also held on the course of the conference. Participants of the
conference have also appreciated the establishment of an International
Anti-Corruption Academy in Austria, Vienna, with the joint efforts of
the Interpol and the United Nations Organization for Drug Control (UNODC),
the Deputy Commissioner said. Representatives of
anti-corruption authorities of 107 UN member states and 13
international organizations that converged at the conference have
discussed and adopted a 27 point draft resolution on the way forward. Established in 2006, the IAACA has the objective of providing a forum whereby national authorities are able both to strengthen their domestic anti-corruption systems and procedures, and also develop cross-border channels of communication and cross-border institutional relationships.--Ends-- |
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Court gives prison terms, cash fine to corruptors Addis Ababa- FEACC-October 21,
2008 The
First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court gave five years of
rigorous imprisonment for two individuals each as they were found guilty
of corruption offenses of various forms. The
charge filed by the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC)
says that Tesfaye Dires Gennaw, who was a mechanic at the power
maintenance section of the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation
(ETC), ripped-off some 74 barrels of engine oil from September 2001 to
November 2003. The
convict committed the fraud by preparing 18 fake request documents and
putting phony signatures on the documents to deceive workers and
officials of ETC’s storehouse, the charge reads. Meanwhile,
an individual who goes by the name Teshome Alemayehu Gurbachew was
charged by the FEACC for allegedly preparing fake tax payer files, forms
and receipts for 61 individuals while he was working as documentation
and data encoding expert at kebelle 07 of the Kolfe Keraniyo Sub-City in
Addis Ababa. According
to the charge, the convict prepared 61 counterfeit tax payer files by
deleting names and file numbers of original tax payers from May 2005 to
January 2006. He
was also charged with severe fraud and corruption offense for collecting
4257.70 Birr using the false documents and preparing fake land holding
documents for several individuals. After looking in to the cases, the court recently gave five years of rigorous imprisonment plus 2,000 Birr fine to Tesfaye Dires Gennaw and five years of rigorous imprisonment to Teshome Alemayehu Gurbachew. |
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Corruptors
get prison term, cash fine Addis Ababa- FEACC- Oct29, 2008-
The Dire Dawa Bench of the Federal High Court sentenced Deputy Sergeant
Mohammed Hussien and other four individuals to six years of
rigorous imprisonment and 3,000 Birr fine each for committing corruption
offense while they were on duty. Four
former members of the Dire Dawa Police Commission, Deputy Sergeant
Mohammed Hussien, Deputy Sergeant Mekbib Teshome, Constable Mathios
Teferra, Constable Mekonnen Tesfaye and Kiros Gessese, who was employee
of the Dire Dawa Customs Office, were all convicted of violating the
1997 E.C criminal code by grabbing money while they were on duty,
according to the charge filed by the FEACC. The
five defendants grabbed 164,000 Birr that belonged to Awale Lamre, an
individual victim and who was on board on a vehicle heading from Bekae
town to Dire Dawa on August 25, 1998 E.C. The
convicts took the stated sum of money after stopping and rummage-around
the vehicle in the pretext of searching for contraband goods, the charge
reads. After looking in to the evidences produced by the prosecutor, the court passed the decision against the defendants on October 23, 2008. |
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FEACC presses charges against S. Korean,9
accomplices over telecom fraud Addis Ababa- FEACC- Oct 03,
2008-The
Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) on October 02,
2008 filed charges against a South Korean citizen who is in custody
for allegedly involving in a telecom scam. The
charge filed by the FEACC states that the South Korean who entered to
Ethiopia using tourist visa was rendering international telephone call
service using telecom gadgets illegally imported from abroad. The
Ethiopian Information Network Security Agency (EINSA) has confirmed
that using the telecom gadget, which the convict utilized to make
connections with a server installed in South Korea, is unlawful. The
charge also counted four former employees of the Ethiopian
Telecommunication Corporation (ETC) who sold 21 blocked and unused SIM
cards to the South Korean and assisted him to secure license for the
provision of Broadband Internet Service, which is not allowed for
foreign citizens. Moreover,
five individuals who have been illicitly providing international
telephone call service using the ID and pass word they obtained from
the South Korean have also been charged. The
telecom fraud committed by the South Korean and his accomplices from
October 2007 to August 2008 cost the ETC over 4,527,845 Birr,
according to the charge. After looking in to the charges, the First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court rejected the bail request of the convicts and adjourned the case until October 14, 2008. |
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FEACC,
Transparency Ethiopia hold panel discussion Addis Ababa- FEACC- September 26,2008- " Corruption and the Private Sector", a panel discussion co-organized by the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) and Transparency Ethiopia (TE) a civil society organization engaged in fighting corruption was held here at the Ghion hotel on September ,2005. The
half day panel discussion was organized based on the agreement the
FEACC and TE reached earlier to hold successive forums that aimed at
raising public's awareness towards ongoing anti-corruption moves. Opening
the panel discussion, Deputy Commissioner of the FEACC, Addisu
Mengistu underlined that the forum is of paramount importance to
highlight that combating corruption should be a primary issue in
materializing the ongoing peace, development, democratization and good
governance efforts. Some
private organizations in a society with high prevalence of corruption
often got involved in corrupt practices to enjoy illegal benefits, the
Deputy Commissioner said and added that such a move makes the majority
of the private sector ineffective in their business conducts. Four
research papers were presented and discussed on the course of the
panel discussion that attracted about 70 participants from various
government and private institutions. Presenters of the research papers gave briefings on the concept of corruption crime emphasizing on the causes and measures that should be taken to prevent corrupt practices that are frequently witnessed in the private sector. |
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Ombudsman
of Rwanda expresses readiness to work with FEACC Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The Ombudsman of Rwanda expressed readiness to
work in partnership and collaboration with the Federal Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission of Ethiopia (FEACC) in the areas of human
rights protection and corruption prevention. During
the discussion he held with the Commissioner of the FEACC on 22
September 2007, Chief of the Ombudsman of Rwanda, Mr. Toti Rutaremara,
commended the efforts being exerted in Ethiopia to eradicate
corruption and underscored the need to lay down experience sharing
programmes in a sustainable manner. He
also attached significant premium on such programmes in preventing
corruption and protecting human rights in the two sisterly countries. Commissioner Ali Sulaiman on his part stressed the necessity to intensify the national anti-corruption struggle in a bid to make sure that it wouldn't hinder the on-going development and democratization processes in the Country. |
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Corrupt
revenue collector jailed FEACC
- Addis Ababa - August 4/2000 The
Dire Dawa town High Court gave six years of rigorous imprisonment to an
individual convicted of corruption offense. The
charge leveled by the FEACC against Mersha Bogale Asfaw, former revenue
collector at the Dire Dawa town revenue authority, stated that the
culprit committed the corruption act by preparing fake documents. According
to the charge, the convict illicitly consumed over 41,760 Birr by
deleting & mismatching the amount of money on different copies of
cash collection slips. The
individual committed the offense during tax & tarrif collection held
during 1999 E.C, the charge says. The court passed the ruling last week. |
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FEACC
arrests seven suspects of corruption crime FEACC-Addis
Ababa- July 25, 2008- The
Federal Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (FEACC) arrested seven of
the eight individuals suspected of taking part in a corruption offense
committed at the Education Materials Manufacturing and Distribution
Enterprise. The corruption offense involved over 980,000 Birr. The eight suspects have committed the corruption by
allowing purchase of various inputs out of the tender regulation that
requires procurement of materials estimated over 30,000 Birr should be
held through open tender. It was confirmed that various inputs including hardboard , plywood, tyres, computers and printers worth over 980,000 Birr were purchased through direct procurement and limited-tender at different times. A variety of below-the-standard materials valued
over 78,000 Birr have also been procured out of the necessary quality
specification. The corruption offense incurred a financial loss,
estimated at over 980,000 Birr plus an unidentified damage on the
government. Seven of the eight suspects, including
enterprise’s General Manager, former finance head, quality control
expert as well as members of the procurement committee that put their
hands in the corruption were arrested on July 22, 2008. The remaining suspect is still at large. |
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Four
suspects in custody for consultancy tender scam FEACC-Addis
Ababa- July 25,2008-The FEACC arrested four suspects for
allegedly involving in a corruption committed at the Ministry of Federal
Affairs that resulted in
the cancellation of over 1.39 million Birr grant provided by the World
Bank for the execution of disaster preparedness and contingency plan in
23 pastoralist woredas. The FEACC on July 23, 2008 arrested the four
suspects who were assigned at different positions of the Pastoralist
Community Development Project Unit that was responsible for the
execution of the disaster preparedness and contingency plan with the
financial support of the WB. The suspects committed the swindle in the process of hiring a consultant firm for the project. The FEACC investigated the matter based on a letter
the WB sent to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in
November 2007 stating that the procurement of consultant firms was
carried out in violation of the guideline set by the WB on selection and
employment of consultants. Short listing consultants with out advertising for
an expression of interest and awarding of three contracts on a
direct-contract basis were also mentioned as violations committed by the
officials in the process. As a result, the WB announced the cancellation of a
938,119 Birr fund from the grant agreement and requested reimbursement
of 454,031.95 Birr which has been disbursed earlier for the procurement
of the consultancy service. Four individuals including project’s policy and research, purchasing and finance officers have been apprehended and were brought before the court by the Commission. |
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Lawbreaker
gets three years behind bars FEACC-Addis
Ababa- July 14, 2008-The Amhara Regional State Supreme Court
sentenced an individual convicted of committing corrupt practices by
misusing his power to
three years’ rigorous imprisonment. The convict, Birelew Belay was charged for misusing
his power with the intention of getting illicit gains while he was
working as a contract employee at the Dangila Branch of the Agriculture
Inputs Supply Enterprise, from February, 2000 to January 2004. The charge pressed against the convict says that
the convict abused public property and twisted documents with the
intention of obtaining illicit benefits amounting over 1,000 Birr during
the stated period. As he was proved to commit the corruption offenses, the court on July 02, 2008 gave the Birelew Belay three years of rigorous imprisonment. |
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FEACC-Addis
Ababa- July18, 2008-The Dire Dawa City Administration High
Court recently gave an individual, who was senior inspection officer at
the Dire Dawa Airport customs office, six years of rigorous imprisonment
and 8,000 Birr fine for corruption offense. The
charge filed by the FEACC against the culprit, who goes by the name
Moges Mulugeta Welede Semayat, states that the culprit was responsible
to verify the volume of Khat
that is exported via the Dire Dawa Airport with the volume allowed on the declaration slip and to make
sure that Khat is not exported
without letter of credit (LC). Putting
aside his responsibilities, the charge says, the culprit facilitated
export of 267,750 kilograms of khat
from 2001 to 2002 to the Somaliland. He committed the fraud by reusing
declaration slips and bank permission numbers that had already been
used. The
government, due to the corrupt offense, lost one million and 71,000 USD
that it could have obtain had the stated volume of khat
been exported legally, the charge reads. As he was unable to defend himself against the charges, the court gave the convict six years of rigorous imprisonment and 8,000 Birr fine. |
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Court
sends corruptors to jail FEACC-
Addis Ababa- July 10,2008- The First Criminal bench of the
Federal High Court
sentenced Tesfa Saketa Keno, former head of general service at the
Ethiopian Export Trade Promotion Agency and Iyassu Tesfa Gebrehiwot, his
accomplice, to two years and one and half years rigorous imprisonment,
respectively, for corruption offenses. According to the charge filed by the FEACC, the
first convict Tesfa Saketa Keno abused his power for illicit personal
gains while he was working as secretary of a tender committee set up at
the enterprise for the procurement of books and magazines in 2001. The convict misused his power and produced fake
documents with the intention of favoring Image International Private
Limited Company, one of the competitors of the tender that submitted
230,308.19 Birr, which was higher than that of the price given by the
other competitor, Ashock Malik General Importer, by 79,265 Birr. The charge also indicated that the convict denied Ashock Malik General Importer access to a letter the tender committee had prepared to get further explanation from the two competitors on 100 percent advance payment request by the latter. The convict had intentionally concealed a letter
the tender committee had prepared to Ashock Malik General Importer, the
charge says. The convict received 5,000 Birr bribe from the
second convict, Iyassu Tesfa Gebrehiwot for favoring Image International
Private Limited Company to appear as a sole competitor and won the
tender. A financial loss amounting 79,265 Birr has been
incurred on the government due to the corruption offense committed by
the two culprits, it added. As they failed to refute the charge, the court on July 7, 2008 sentenced Tesfa Saketa Keno and Iyassu Tesfa Gebrehiwot to two years and one and half years of rigorous imprisonment, respectively. |
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Corruptors
sent behind bars FEACC--Addis
Ababa- July 11, 2008-The Yaka Sub city bench of the Federal
First Instant Court sentenced four convicts found engaged in corrupt
practices involving over 347,478 Birr to prison term ranging from 11
months to six years. The charge pressed by the FEACC indicated that the
first convict, Teshome Brehane, who was working as security guard at the
Ethiopian Select Seed Enterprise, collaborated with his accomplices to
get illicit personal benefits through misusing his power. The convict collaborated and allowed the other
convicts to break into a warehouse and garage of the Enterprise situated
around Kazanchis area and take various auto spare parts worth over 347,
478 Birr. Accordingly, the FEACC accused the convict of
corruption offenses and misusing public office for illicit personal
gains. As they failed to disprove the charge, the court on
July 7, 2008 sentenced the first convict Teshome Brehane to six years of
rigorous imprisonment plus1000 Birr and the second convict, who goes by
the name Kibruyisfa Teklie, to 11 months prison term. Meanwhile, as they were found guilty of collaborating with the first and second convicts, the court gave Tewfiq Oulena and Yousuf Hamdella, the third and fourth convicts in the same file, to four years of rigorous imprisonment each. |
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Commissioner
calls for synchronized effort to prevent corruption ADDIS
ABABA(FEACC)- Commissioner of the Federal Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission, H.E. Ato Ali Sulaiman called for a
synchronized effort to prevent
corruption, which is affecting national pride apart from hindering
development endeavors. Speaking at a panel
discussion co-organized by the FEACC and Transparency Ethiopia on 3 July
2008 under a theme "Corruption and Service Delivery in
Ethiopia", Commissioner Ali said the costs of corruption would be
devastating unless each and every citizen and institution join forces to
fight it. Cognizant of the need
for collective effort, the FEACC has been working in close partnership
and collaboration with pertinent bodies, the Commissioner added. There is a tendency to
associate corruption only with service delivery in government offices
and enterprises, the Commissioner said, adding that corruption and
improprieties being committed in the private sector deserve due
attention. Explaining that the
FEACC has been mandated to tackle corruption committed in the government
offices and government enterprises, Commissioner Ali urged Transparency
Ethiopia and other institutions engaged in the anti-corruption drive to deal with corruption and other improprieties that are being
committed in the private sector. Some three papers dealing with the historical background of the civil service, loopholes conducive for corruption in the civil service, justice system as well as land administration were presented during the panel discussion. |
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Court
gives jail terms to corruptors FEACC-Addis Ababa, June
18,2000- The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court
sentenced two individuals found guilty of involving in corruption
offenses to imprisonment and cash fines. The Court recently passed the verdict over Alebel
Seleshi, who was working as a Teller at the
Kirkos Sub City Western Union Branch of the Commercial Bank of
Ethiopia (CBE) and Seleshi
Seifu, former Supervisor at the stated branch of the CBE. The first defendant was charged by the FEACC on
April 9,1999 E.C for abusing 142,895 Birr of the over 257,689 Birr he
signed for and received from the head office of the CBE from February 19
to 21,1999 E.C. The second defendant, Seleshi Seifu was also
charged in the same file for failing to supervise and made the necessary
balance sheet of the stated three days on which the first defendant got
access to take the money. Accordingly, the Court on May 28,2000 E.C sentenced
Alebel Seleshi to six years of rigorous imprisonment and fined 3,000 Birr as he was found guilty of abusing office for
private gain. The second defendant, Seleshi Seifu has also been given one year prison term as he was found guilty by the Court for showing laxity in conducting his duties. |
Court sends corruptors to jail FEACC- June 18,2000,
Addis Ababa- The First Criminal
Bench of the Federal High Court sent
corruptors, who were found guilty of abusing their powers for personal
gains, to jail. The Court on June
12,2000 E.C passed the
guilty verdict on the defendants who were proven guilty and failed to
defend themselves against the charges pressed earlier by the Federal
Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (FEACC) for illegally putting away
close to one million Birr by misusing their power. Accordingly, the
Court sentenced Girma Bekele Dadi, who was Head of Insurance and
Accident Sub Department head with the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE),
to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a 12,000 Birr fine. The other defendant in the same file, Aneley Mussie
Getu, who was Head of Asset Registration and Finance Department with the
CBE, got nine years of rigorous imprisonment and 11,000 Birr fine. Other defendants, Dr. Kebede Tsige and Kidane Emeshaw, who were proved to put hands in the corrupt practices along with the above mentioned offenders, also received seven years of rigorous imprisonment plus 10,000 Birr fine and five years of rigorous imprisonment with 8,000 Birr fine, respectively. |
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Corruptor
gets 8 years behind bars, 5,000 Birr fine Addis
Ababa (FEACC): - The first Criminal Bench of the Federal High
Court gave 8 years of rigorous imprisonment & 5,000 Birr fine for an
individual found guilty of collaborating with 3 federal police members
in corrupt practices. Aimro
Wubet, along with 3 members of the federal police, was charged with
intimidating & robbing an individual, Yunus Yasin, while the Victim
was arriving at the Bole International Airport from Saudi Arabia on May
10, 2006. According
to the charge filed by the FEACC, the convicts unlawfully arrested Yunus
by telling him that he was on the list of people wanted by the
government. The
Convicts drove Yunus out of the Airport & later moved him to another
vehicle that belongs to the federal police commission, the charge says.
Then,
the convicts robbed Yunus of 464,000 USD & other valuables, the
charge reads. The
court Therefore, gave Aimro Wubet 8 Years of rigorous imprisonment &
5,000 Birr fine on June 9, 2008. The
court earlier gave 12 Years of rigorous prison term plus 5,000 Birr fine
& 8 years of rigorous imprisonment with 2,000 Birr fine for Sergent
Molla Temesgen & Constable Hassen Indris, respectively, who were
found guilty of abusing their power & engaging in corrupt practices
along with Aimro Wubet. Similarly, another convict in the same charge, Constable Ashenafi Berhe got 10 years of rigorous prison term & 3,000 Birr fine. |
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Members
of former CBE management receive prison terms Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The former members of the Commercial Bank of
Ethiopia Management received prison terms ranging from one to seven and
half years on 11 June 2008. The convicts were
accused of contravening the Bank's regulations in providing loans, it
was learned. The Federal High
Court gave the verdict, as the convicts failed to refute the charges
brought against them by the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission (FEACC). The Former President of the Bank, Tilahun Abay, received the highest prison term, which was seven and half years. |
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Commission
participates in 2nd IAACA Seminar ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-
The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) Participated
in the second seminar of the International Association
of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) held in Chongqing, China
from 14-23 May 2008. In the Seminar held
under the theme, "Effective Preventive
Measures in the Fight against Corruption ", Commissioner of
the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, H.E. Ato Ali Sulaiman,
delivered a speech on the activities the FEACC has been carrying
out in an effort to prevent and control corruption. The fact that the FEACC
has assigned ethics officers at public offices and public enterprises
was hailed as a special feature, according to Commissioner Ali. Commissioner Ali said
participants of the Seminar also lauded
the establishment of ethics
and civics clubs at schools throughout the country. Furthermore, the
practice of examining the
working practices and procedures of public offices and enterprises,
which the FEACC adopted from Hong Kong in order to plug loopholes
believed to be vulnerable to corruption, has won wide acclamation, the
Commissioner added. All in all, the
participants commended the comprehensive approach the FEACC has been
pursuing to prevent and control corruption and other improprieties,
Commissioner Ali noted. The Commissioner said
various anti-corruption authorities presented their respective
organizational structure and working practices and procedures and
discussion was held on them. According to the
Commissioner, the FEACC has learned the need to
strengthen the surveillance and intelligence activities to
deal with the growing complexity and subtlety of corruption
offences as countries that registered remarkable results in fighting
corruption had best used their surveillance and intelligence
units. Delegates from over 100 countries took part in the Seminar, it was learned. |
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Commission
holds mapping session Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - Senior members of the Federal Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC) and anti-corruption experts from the
World Bank held a joint session on 29 April 2008 on mapping the second
national corruption survey to be conducted in the years to come for the
second time. During
the session held at the Commission's Conference Hall, participants
deliberated on the significance of conducting mapping before launching
the second national corruption survey. The
whole purpose of conducting the mapping is to establish a frame work for
conducting the second national corruption survey. Accordingly,
the participants forwarded ideas that could serve as an input to the
mapping project. The
FEACC will be conducting the mapping in partnership with the World Bank.
|
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Corruptors
get 7 to 13 years of
imprisonment ADDIS
ABABA(FEACC)-The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court
on 18 April 2008 sentenced Sem Wube
Eshete, former Commercial Bank employee, and Eyosiyas Tesfamariam
Esuamlak, his accomplice, to 13 and 7 years of imprisonment respectively
for corruption offense. According to the charge
filed against them by the FEACC, Sem, along with Eyosiyas and another
accomplice who has been in the hideout, willfully prepared counterfeit
document in order to swindle over 1,118,000 birr the Finish Evangelical Lutheran sent to the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Mekane
Yesus through three
different swift messages to be paid by the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. By taking advantage of
the code number he was able to know while carrying out his duties, Sem,
who was a staff member at the foreign money transfer section with the
International Relations Department of the Bank and his accomplices
altered the names and addresses of the sender, the receiver and the
paying branch bank on the swift message and deposited a total of over
1,118,000 birr into three bank accounts, which they opened for this
particular purposes. The culprits withdrew
over 1,050,000 birr from the accounts
and used it up. As a result, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia had
to pay the above mentioned sum to the Ethiopian Evangelical Church, the
charge reads. Therefore, the Court handed down the verdict as the convicts have failed to defend themselves from the charge pressed against them. |
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Commission
arrests two suspects Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC) arrested two
business men on 29 March 2008 for allegedly trying to bribe its
surveillance officer who
was assigned to investigate an alleged corruption offence committed by
them. The two
individuals allegedly evaded tax when they imported 13-million birr
worth commodities back in 2007 and the Commission had launched an
investigation into the case as soon as the matter was brought to its
attention. Then, the
suspects approached the surveillance officer and pledged to offer him
150, 000 Birr in bribe in exchange for the immediate suspension of the
investigation of the case. The
surveillance officer, then, brought the matter to the attention of the
Commission, which arrested the suspects red-handed while trying to bribe
the officer. The Commission commended the surveillance officer for the professional and exemplar integrity he had shown in handling the case and rejecting the bribe. |
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Corrupt
manager, his accomplice receive jail terms, fines ADDIS
ABABA(FEACC)-The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court
sentenced Mesfin Tekle, former
manager of the Federal Inland Revenue Authority in the Amhara Regional
State, and his accomplice to 14 and 5
years of rigorous imprisonment respectively for extorting 750,000
birr Mesfin Tekle, by breach of trust, intimidated owners of
a certain cotton mill saying that they owed the government
20,000,000 birr in sales tax when they actually owed the government
2,271, 121 birr. He also told them that they would be jailed,
according to the charge pressed against them by the FEACC. Then, he asked them to
pay him 1,000,000 birr so that, he said, "you would be freed from
everything". Finally Mesfin
ordered the owners to give his sister, Sister Tizibt Tekle
750,000 birr, the amount the owners eventually agreed to pay him. Consequently, the charge
reads, Tizibt had received a total of
750,000 birr from the owners and Mesfin, through his sister,
delivered the owners in return a letter explaining that they owed the
government only 2085 birr. The Court recently handed down the verdict after the convicts failed to defend themselves against the charge. |
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Court sends corruptors to jail Addis
Ababa (FEACC)-The
Federal High Court gave two corruptors three years of imprisonment each
on 25 March 2008 for their involvement in corrupt activities. According
to the Prosecution Department of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission, Ashenafi Gebre Michael, was found guilty of conspiracy to
get away with criminal charges pressed against him. The
accused reportedly manipulated a former police constable, the first
defendant, to defect through a false promise to facilitate the
employment of the latter in South African companies. He was admitted to
the Police Hospital claiming that he was sick, it was learned. Then,
the second defendant tranquillized a second police officer (who was
assigned to guard him) with a drug and escaped with the first defendant. The
first defendant, Andualem Mekonnen, received 5000 Birr from Ashenafi,
after the two escaped to Woliso, it was learned. The
court found Andualem Mekonnen guilty of assisting Ashenafi Gebre Michael
in exchange for the 5000 birr he received in bribe. Ashenafi Gebre Michael got the jail term for his involvement in corruption scandal and other criminal acts. |
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Former
Bank employee gets 18 years ADDIS
ABABA(FEACC)-The First Criminal Bench of
the Federal High Court recently
sentenced former secretary of
foreign banks with
the Construction and Business Bank, Alemu Tekle, to 18 years of rigorous
imprisonment and fined him 10,000 birr. According to the charge
the FEACC filed against the convict, the convict has prepared false
tickets and documents by simulating that the bank had bought foreign
currencies and cheques from a friend of the convict, against whom the
FEACC also pressed charge. The convict then
deposited 1,264,850 birr in the bank account of his accomplice as if the
documents and tickets had been audited and signed by the pertinent
heads. The sum deposited in the name of the accomplice was drawn on
various occasions and used up by the convict and his friend. The convict has failed to defend himself against the charge of serious fraud brought against him by the FEACC. |
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Three
former ETC employees land in jail for corruption offense ADDIS
ABABA(FEACC)-The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court
recently sentenced three former
employees of the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC) and a
businessperson to three years' imprisonment each. Kassa H/Giorgis, former
manager of East Addis Ababa
branch office with ETC, Abiyot Asefa, former marketing section head of
East Addis Ababa branch office with ETC and Tegegn Girum, former
customers' service head of the East Addis Ababa branch office with ETC
were found guilty of illegally issuing license to an individual to make
international calls through his five wireless lines by breaching the
regulations and guidelines issued in connection with wireless
telephones. The charge pressed
against them by the FEACC
explains that Kebede Tirfe, who illegally received the license, had not paid the government over 621,000 birr, the amount of money he
collected by offering the lines to his customers to make international
calls between 22-29 July 2005. By abusing their power,
the four culprits willfully caused the government lose significant
amount of money, the charge reads. The court passed its verdict on the culprits after the latter failed to defend themselves against the evidence corroborated by the FEACC. |
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Staff
member arrested for alleged corruption offense ADDIS
ABABA(FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC)
apprehended a staff member that goes by the name Weleli Zeru Bekele for
allegedly receiving money saying that he would terminate in return the
case of an individual whose case has been under investigation in
connection with illegal land proprietorship here in the capital. Weleli, who was working
at the Department of Corruption Prevention with the FEACC, was arrested
on 16 March 2008. The FEACC brought the
suspect before the First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court on 17
March 2008 and demanded a two-week time to carry out further
investigation for which the court gave its approval. It is to be recalled that the FEACC had earlier filed charge against another staff member who was caught red-handed while receiving bribes pledging in return to terminate the case of a housing cooperative, which the FEACC considered illegal. |
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Corrupt
Federal Police members receive jail terms ADDIS ABABA(FEACC)-The
First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court recently gave 8-12 years
jail terms for three Federal Police members for robbing over 464,000 USD
and other property. The police members who had been on duty at the Bole
International Airport on 2 May 1998 E.C robbed Ato Yonus Yasin by
intimidating him while he was heading to his family, who were waiting to
welcome him. According to the charge
prepared by the FEACC, the convicts intimidated Ato Yonus, who had just
arrived at the airport from Saudi Arabia, saying that he was a criminal
who was wanted by the government and then drove him and his family by a
minibus towards Bole ring road and finally they made his family members
to get down somewhere in the road and drove away Ato Yonus. Eventually, the convicts
got Ato Yonus boarded another car belonged to the Federal Police and
received forcefully over 464,000USD. The FEACC prosecuted the
three convicts for abuse of power to which they failed to defend
themselves. As a result, Chief Sergeant Molla Temesgen received 12 years rigorous imprisonment and was fined 5000 birr while Constable Hassen Indris got eight years rigorous imprisonment and was fined 2000 birr. The third convict , Constable Ashenafi Berhe, received ten years of rigorous imprisonment and was fined 3000 birr. |
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Court
denies bail to individuals suspected of gold scam ADDIS
ABABA(FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC)
said the First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court has rejected the
bail request of individuals suspected of gold scam. Director of Ethics
Education and Public Relations with the Commission, Berhanu Asefa, said
that the suspects, who appeared at the First Criminal Bench of the
Federal High Court on 21 March 2008, were denied bail. Charges would be pressed
against the suspects shortly as a joint probe which had been conducted
for the past three months by the FEACC, the Federal Police and the
National Intelligence Services was finalized, Berhanu said. Transaction of
90 kilograms phony gold had been conducted between 2005 and 2007
with the then value of 158 million birr, the director said. Some 26 suspects were
apprehended in connection with the fraud out of whom seven suspects were
from the National Bank of Ethiopia and four suspects were from the
Geological Survey while the remaining ones were businesspersons and
their accomplices, according to the director. Office of the General
Auditor, which was ordered to carry out audit, has completed its task
and forwarded a 16-page report that corroborates the evidence found
during the probe, he said. The assets of 11
business firms belonging to the suspects and their accomplices have been
frozen, he said, adding that a lot of gold and money was seized. Similarly, probe into 38 kilo grams of phony gold was well underway, the director added. |
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FEACC
arrests alleged fugitive corruptor ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC)
caught one of the two individuals against whom it launched manhunt for
alleged corruption offences in connection with land provision in Kolfe
Keraniyo sub-city on 21 February 2008. Despite the announcement
in the media to submit himself to the pertinent bodies, Nuredin Yasin
Sabir had been in the hideout until he was caught by the FEACC. So far, three of the
four suspects that were summoned through the media to submit themselves
to the pertinent bodies for alleged corruption offences in the land
provision have been put under control. It is to be recalled that two of
them submitted themselves to the FEACC two months ago. The FEACC has
intensified the manhunt to arrest the remaining one. The suspects had earlier
won a lease bid that entitled them to obtain plots around the area
called Furi. However, the suspects appealed to be granted another
substitute plots claiming that the plots they had won was designated for
green area. As a result, they were able to obtain plots with higher
lease price and larger in size than the previous ones. The FEACC alleges that
illegally collaborating with the former heads of the sub-city, the
suspects gained undue advantages. In a related development, the FEACC on 22 February 2008 caught two prosecutors with the Ministry of Justice red handed while receiving 3000 in order to terminate in return the prosecution of an individual suspected of being a ruffian. |
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Commission
apprehends staff member for allegedly taking bribe ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission
caught one of its staff members and another who was a member of the
Federal Police red handed while taking bribe on 24 January 2008. Tsegaye Hailu, who
served as an undercover agent and escort of prisoners with the
Commission, received the bribe promising in return to close the case of
a certain housing cooperative, which was under investigation by the
Commission for alleged illegality, claiming that he was intimate with
the officials of the Commission and other government officials. The suspects were caught
red-handed while receiving unspecified amount of money of the total
400,000 birr they demanded. It is to be recalled that the Commission has been on alert to act on the tips-off from the public following tips-off from some segments of the public about the presence of some corruptors in the Commission. |
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Commission
announces 107 alleged illegal housing cooperatives ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC) - The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission
(FEACC) has announced 107 housing cooperatives it claims to be illegal. The
Commission has found these housing cooperatives illegal during a serious
scrutiny it has launched lately in Kolfe-Keraniyo, Nefas-silk Lafto,
Akaki-Kaliti, Bole, Yeka and Gullele sub-cities of the Addis Ababa City
Administration. The
housing cooperatives were organized indirect contravention of rules and
regulations set for the coordination of housing cooperatives, it was
learned. Some
civil servants in the above mentioned sub-cities were implicated in this
unscrupulous act as they were involved in organization and giving
recognition to the illegal housing cooperatives. The
number of illegal housing cooperatives could rise in due course as the
Commission was preparing to further probe into the sub-cities here in
the metropolis in connection with housing cooperatives. The Commission has already filed charges against some of the housing cooperatives while the investigation of the remaining ones was in progress. |
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Commission
presses charges against an alleged corruptor Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission
(FEACC) said that it had pressed charges against the former General
Manager of the Marketing Department of the Akaki Metal Products Factory
on 31 December 2007for allegedly committing corruption offences. According
to the Commission, the accused has obtained six title deeds of urban
land in direct contradiction to the land leasing laws and regulations of
the Addis Ababa City Administration. He
got the title deeds one after the other by claiming that he had no
previous ownership of urban land at all, it was learned. The
FEACC asserted that the defendant deliberately committed the crime with
an intention of illegal prosperity. He also deposited over 200,000 birr, of which source was not disclosed, in different banks under his name, the Commission added. |
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Court
Sends Corruptors to Jail Addis
Ababa (FEACC)- The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission
(FEACC) disclosed that the First Criminal Bench of the Federal High
Court sent corruptors to jail recently for breaching trust. According
to the Commission, Yeshitila Engida and Abebe Ahmed, who were both
teachers of Mugher Community Secondary School, received five and one
years of imprisonment respectively. The
convicts were found guilty of illegally owning and using eight plasma TV
decks and their accessories, which were the properties of the school,
the FEACC said. The properties were estimated at 7, 274 USD, it was
learned. In
a related development, a customs officer and his accomplice received
three and two years of imprisonment respectively for committing
corruption, the Commission added. According
to the FEACC, Tekeste Abraham, who was a Junior Taxation Officer at the
Addis Ababa Airport, received the sentence for evading the taxation
(estimated at 79,767.91 Birr) of a print cartridge weighing 829.5 kg
on a forged receipt prepared by himself. His accomplice, Alemnesh Worku, who was engaged in transit activities, was also found guilty of issuing the cartridge in the absence of a legal property issuance receipt. |
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UNODC
keen to extend technical assistance to FEACC ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC) - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
expressed interest to support the efforts of the Federal Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) in building its capacity. During talks with the
senior management of the FEACC here on 5 December 2007, UNODC officials
said their Office was ready to work in close partnership with the FEACC
in the area of capacity building, namely institutional capacity and
human resource development. According to the
Commissioner of the FEACC, H.E. Ali Sulaiman, the UNODC has pledged to
facilitate and coordinate short-and medium-term training programmes,
both at home and abroad to staff members of the FEACC. To this end, the UNODC
has agreed to send list of projects and the mechanisms of their
implementation, with the full fledged implementation of the projects to
follow, Commissioner Ali said. During the discussions, Commissioner Ali briefed the officials about the anti-corruption drive in Ethiopia, structure of anti-corruption authorities and the challenges the anti-corruption authorities were facing. |
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Corruptor
sentenced to five years' imprisonment, fined 500 Birr ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC)-The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court
sentenced an individual who was found guilty of embezzlement to five
years' imprisonment and fined him 500 Birr. Fikre Geze, who had
served as bill distributor at the South Branch Office with the Addis
Ababa Water and Sewage Service from 1990 E.C-1994 E.C budget years
embezzled a total of 196,846 Birr belonging to the government. The culprit failed to defend the evidence corroborated against him by the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, which had brought a charge of corruption against him back in February 1998 E.C. |
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Corruptor
gets seven years ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC)-The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court
on 13 November 2007 handed down a seven-year sentence to an individual
who was found guilty of fraud. Alemayehu Wolde, who was a petty casher at the Main Office of
the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, received the jail term for taking to
his benefit 34,431 Birr by increasing the wages of unskilled laborers in
the payroll through deletion and other means. In doing so, the culprit
falsified the documents of the public and the government, according to
the prosecutor of the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. He also took 280 Birr
for his personal benefit from 4,000 Birr earmarked to him for petty
expenses. Similarly, the First
Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court sentenced corruptor to five
years of imprisonment and fined him 500 Birr on 6 November 2007. Tegene Ketema, who was an employee of the South Zone Telecommunication Office with the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation, took for his personal benefit 10,813 Birr, which he collected from customers as telephone bills. |
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Court
sentences convict to four years of imprisonment Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High
Court sentenced a defendant who was found guilty of committing
corruption to four years of imprisonment. The
Court passed the verdict on Alemayehu Qitessa on 29 October 2007 for
receiving 1000 Birr in bribe by pretending to be an investigator of the
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC) and holding a fake
arrest warrant and identification card with the Commission's logo on it. The
culprit traded on a case which was under investigation by the Commission
and tried to secure illegal benefits from people on either side of the
case, it was learned. According
to the FEACC, it has been established beyond doubt that the defendant
received 1,000 Birr in bribe from people on one side of the case
promising to arrest their opponents in return, when he has no authority
to do so. The
convict also demanded 50, 000 Birr from the other side giving his fake
word that he could avoid their arrest in return, it was learned. The FEACC said that it pressed the charges against Alemayehu back in September 2006. |
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Corruptor
receives ten years imprisonment ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC)-The Second Criminal Bench of the High Court
handed out ten years of rigorous imprisonment to corruptor on 23 October
2007. Eyob Bekele, who was Registration Desk Head with Immigration
and Nationality Affairs Main Department, received the sentence for
issuing forged pass port to Seada Nasir Hassen and demanding in retrurn
80,000 Birr. The charge brought to
him by the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC)
explains that the convict issued Seada a forged pass port under the name
of Helen Bedru Hassen, by changing her real name that had appeared in
her original pass port in the absence of any legal evidences that she
has changed her name. The convict had failed
to refute the evidences corroborated against him by the prosecutor of
the FEACC, it was learned. As a result, the court sentenced him to ten years of rigorous imprisonment and stripped him of public rights for three years. |
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Court
sends convict to jail Addis
Ababa (FEACC)-The First Instance Bench of the Federal High Court
sentenced the Former Head of the Logistics Department of a Battalion at
the Federal Police Commission to two years of imprisonment for
committing corruption. According
to the Prosecution Department of the Commission, Abdissa Muleta was
found guilty of misappropriating logistic supplies allocated for the
Battalion. According
to Commission, the defendant withdrew 50 quintals of sugar and five
cartoons of tea from the supplies stock illegally and sold them. The
culprit withdrew the items fabricating fake requests by members of the
battalion who were legally entitled to receive the logistic supplies, it
was learned. The Commission claimed that the accused committed the crime at a time when the price of sugar sky-rocked so that he could benefit a lot from his misappropriation and embezzlement. |
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Court sends corruptors to jail for bribery ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC)-The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court
sentenced two defendants who were working at the Gulele Sub-city Land
Administration Department to three and two years of imprisonment for
abuse of power and fraud on 17 October 2007. Kifle Eshete, who was
formerly working in the capacity of Land Development Team Leader at the
Gulele Sub-city and Tarekegn Nurgi, who was record officer in the same
sub-city, included illegally the names of two individuals in the list of
people who were to be given plots of land in compensation following
Government's decision to give the land they were previously holding to
the Ministry of defense. The two individuals, who were illegally included in the list,
were not at all entitled to such rights, as they didn't lose any land to
the Ministry of Defense as the a result of the Government's move, the
Commission said. According to the
Commission, the convicts were caught red-handed while they were
fabricating false evidence with a deliberate intention of legalizing the
inclusion of the two individuals in the afore-mentioned list illegally.
The Culprits were to receive 140,000 Birr in return, it was learned. According to the
Commission, Kifle Eshete, the first defendant, was sentenced to three
years of rigorous imprisonment for producing fake title deeds for the
individuals with an intention of getting undue advantage in return. While Tarekegn Nurgi,
the second defendant, was sentenced to two years of imprisonment and was
fined 5,000 Birr for trying to issue counterfeit certificates and other
documents to ensure the legality of the inclusion of the names of the
two individuals in the above-mentioned list illegally. The Commission pressed charges against the perpetrators back in April 2006, it was learned. |
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Commission
obtaining valuable information from whistle blowers ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC)
said a lot of valuable tips- off are coming from whistle blowers through
information boxes the FEACC placed at five sub-cities of the capital. The FEACC has received
more than 200 tips-off within two months alone from information boxes
placed at Kolfe-Keraniyo, Yeka, Bole, Nefas Silk-Lafto and Akaki-Kaliti
sub-cities. The FEACC has passed
decision on 60 of the tips-off it received through the information
boxes. It investigated 23 of the complaints and referred them to the
pertinent sub-cities requesting their reactions, it was learned. Conditions have been
facilitated for the Ministry of Justice, the police and the FEACC to
deal with the remaining tips-off. The FEACC has called on
the residents to continue to blow whistle through the boxes placed as
the information coming to the FEACC is indispensable to conduct
investigation on corruption offenses. Preparations are
underway to place additional information boxes at Arada, Addis Ketema,
Lideta and Kirkos sub-cities as well. The availability of the information boxes makes whistle blowing easier and more efficient, according to the FEACC. |
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Embassy
expresses readiness to work in collaboration with Commission Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The Embassy of the United States of America
expressed readiness to work in collaboration and partnership with the
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC) on various areas
of cooperation. While
holding discussions with the Commissioner of the FEACC on 14 August
2007, Ambassador of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Yamamoto,
said that the achievements the Commission had so far been making were
encouraging. He
confirmed that the Embassy would provide the Commission with the
necessary support so that the latter could keep improving its
achievements. According
to the Ambassador, capacity building, training and crime prevention will
be the major areas of cooperation. He
also stressed the need for a strong cooperation between the Commission
and the Embassy on the extradition of corruptors who might flee their
country after looting its wealth and resources. Visa fraud was also high on the agenda during the discussion, it was learned. |
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Court
gives 3 months to 6 years prison terms to 4 convicts under Assefa
Abreha's file ADDIS
ABABA (ENA)-The Federal Supreme Court on 10 July 2007 sentenced
four of the seven convicts, including Seye Abreha, charged by the
Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) under Assefa
Abreha's lawsuit. The court gave from
three months to six years rigorous prison terms to the convicts. The Federal Supreme
Court during a trial on 10 July 2007 had passed guilty verdict and gave
three convicts, including Assefa Abreha, five to nine years prison
terms, on separate file. The court on the same
session sentenced both Seye Abreha and Meherte'ab Abreha for five years
imprisonment each and 500 birr and 1000 birr fine, respectively. The court also passed a
six-year imprisonment on another convict, Kahsay Abay whose case was
seen in absentia. The court ordered the
federal police to arrest and handover Kahsay Abay to the prison
administration. The former Prime Minister, Tamrat Layne who has been serving 18 years of imprisonment on another file sentenced for three months imprisonment on this file. |
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Court
sends corruptors to jail ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal High Court sentenced three corruptors
to jail on 4 July 2007 for giving illegal construction and renewal
permissions to 13 residents in Kolfe-Keranyo sub city in return to 26,
400 Birr that they received in bribe. The
charge was brought to them by the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission (FEACC) back on 20 October 2007, it was learned. According
to the Prosecution Department of the FEACC, Murad Chakiso Kontano and
Bizunesh Bacha Aredu received two years of imprisonment for their role
in the afore-mentioned criminal activity. The third convict, Nesro Hussein Hassen, got one year imprisonment for brokering the above illegal activity with full knowledge that it was illegal, the FEACC said. |
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House Endorses AU, UN
Anti-corruption Conventions ADDIS
ABABA (ENA/FEACC)-The House of Peoples' Representatives endorsed
bills on the ratification of the African Union Convention on Preventing
and Combating Corruption and the United Nations Convention Against
Corruption in its 40th Regular Session on 3 July 2007. The House endorsed the
Conventions after hearing the recommendations by Legal and
Administrative Affairs and Foreign, Defense and National Security
Standing Committees of the House. The recommendations in
the bill said the Conventions would further strengthen the on-going
anti-corruption struggle in the country. The House ratified the
Conventions with majority votes, according to the Ethiopian News Agency. It is to be recalled
that the Council of Ministers referred the Draft Conventions to the
House for ratification after discussing and approving them in its 32nd
Regular Meeting held on 30 March 2007. During the occasion, the
Council said the Conventions were especially important in providing a
framework for addressing cross-border issues related to corruption. The UN Convention
Against Corruption was adopted by the General Assembly of the United
Nations on 31 October 2003 at the UN Headquarters in New York. According
to UN sources, it entered into force on 14 December 2005. On the other hand, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption was adopted by the Heads of state at the African Union Summit held in Maputo, Mozambique, on 10 July 2003.According to the African Union sources, it entered into effect on August 2006. |
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Court
sentences convict to five years of imprisonment, fines him one million
Birr ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC) - The 8th Criminal Bench of the Federal
1st Instance Court sentenced Daniel, Mekonnen, owner of the African
Jewellery, to five years of imprisonment and imposed on him one million
birr in fine on 1 June 2007. According to the Prosecution Department of the
Commission, the convict was deliberately acquitted earlier by the former
Legal Department head and prosecutor of the Ethiopian Customs Authority
and later made to stand trial through the interference of the Federal
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC). The convict received the
jail term and fine for trying to smuggle over 46 kg. gold bars out of
the country. The court in its verdict accounted that the
convict found guilty of trying to smuggle the stated precious item in
violation of the country’s laws and regulations, which state that
possession and transaction of gold bars must be carried out with full
knowledge and permission of the National Bank of Ethiopia. The court ruled that the
convict had to pay the one million birr fine in 15 days and the gold
bars to be confiscated by the government. On 9 November 2005, the
FEACC filed charge against the former Legal Department Head and the
Prosecutor of the Ethiopian Customs Authority who, in abuse of
authority, intentionally freed the convict earlier. Following the acquittal,
the convict pressed charges for the return of the gold bars claiming
that the Ethiopian Customs Authority acquitted him. The latest court
ruling has overturned his claim, the Commission said. Having reviewed the evidence corroborated against the ex-head of the Legal Department of the Customs Authority as well as the ex-prosecutor of the same Authority by the FEACC, the 1st Criminal Bench of the High Court ordered the defendants on 25 December 2006 to defend their case. |
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UNDP
to grant over 1.2 million birr to Commission ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC) - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
is to provide over 1, 268,000 birr to the Federal Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC) in order to help the latter achieve
its objectives. The grant is part of the
agreement the two sides reached on 18 April 2007. The sum, which is due to
be released in June this year, will be utilized for the expansion of
ethics and anti-corruption education as well as building of the
Commission's capacity. Similarly, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Government of the Netherlands have requested the FEACC for project proposals to financially support its programmes in the coming five years through the UNDP, it was learned. |
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Commission
arrests 50 suspects, files charges against 20 ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC) - The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission
(FEACC) has apprehended 50 suspects in various sub-cities of the Addis
Ababa City Administration in connection with illegal land provision and
other corruption offences. The FEACC has already
pressed charges against 20 of the suspects while preparation is in the
pipeline to file charges against the rest. According to the
Commission, the suspects arrested in connection with land provision are
from Kolfe Keraniyo, Bole, Yeka, Lideta and Kirkos sub-cities of the
capital. Those arrested in
connection with other corruption offences were from the Commercial Bank
of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Customs Authority, Wanji Sugar Factory and
the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency. The suspects were put
under control for allegedly granting plots of land illegally and also
allegedly substituting previously granted plots with larger and better
ones for the same lease price. Also issuing illegal
house plans and providing services to some people who are not eligible
to get those services. Other detainees were put
in custody for allegedly transferring a customer's money into one's own
account, procuring sub-standard grains as well as allowing importation
of machinery duty-free, when the importer has no right to import such a
machine duty-free. The Commission vowed to
continue cracking down on corruption in general and illegal activities
in connection with land provision and ownership in particular. The Commission has also
commended the significant contribution the different cross- sections of
the society in the afore-mentioned sub-cities have made to make its
efforts a success in cracking down on illegal activities surrounding
land provision and ownership. The FEACC has also urged residents of the metropolis to continue supporting its efforts in this regard |
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Commission
Arrests 32 Suspects FEACC
(Addis Ababa) - The Federal Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC) has arrested 32 suspects in five
sub-cities of the Addis Ababa City Administration in connection with
illegal land provision and ownership. According
to the Commission, the suspects were arrested in connection with illegal
land provision and ownership in Kolfe-Keranyo, Bole, Lideta, Yeka and
Kirkos sub-cities since April 19, 2007. Chief
among the suspects were senior and line officers from the Ministry of
Defense and Police Departments, members of the business community,
engineers, lawyers, heads of land administration departments, it was
learned. According
to the Commission, the suspects were arrested for being involved in
illegal land provision and possession by flouting pertinent laws and
regulations. They
were, for example, involved in evading lease payments, providing and
receiving land without proper and relevant documents, providing illegal
house plans and committing other offences in connection with land
provision and ownership, the Commission added. The
Commission said that it finalized the investigation of all but few cases
and was due to press charges against the suspects in no time. As to the
suspects whose investigation was not finalized, the Federal High Court
remanded them in custody. The
Commission vowed to continue cracking down on illegal activities in
connection with land provision and ownership in the metropolis. The
Commission has also commended the significant contribution the different
cross- sections of the society in the afore-mentioned sub-cities have
made to make its efforts a success in cracking down on illegal
activities surrounding land provision and ownership. The FEACC has also urged residents of the metropolis to continue supporting its efforts in this regard. |
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Court sends 13 corruptors
to jail FEACC
(Addis Ababa)- The Supreme Court of the Amhara Regional State
sent 13 corruptors to jail for embezzling the fund allocated for the Dur
Bete-Shawra Road Construction Project, which runs from Western Gojjam to
North Gondar. The convicts failed to
refute the charges brought to them by the Amhara Region Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission, which was delegated by the Federal Ethics
and Anti-corruption Commission to prosecute the culprits. According to the Court,
seven of the 13 defendants, who were members of a committee established
to deal with matters related to the payment of compensation for
demolished houses and damaged properties upon the implementation of the
project, were all found guilty of preparing fake documents to embezzle
the fund. Chief among members the
Committee, Ashagre Sitotaw, Administrator of Achefer Woreda, Fisaha
Belachew, Engineer at the Dur Bete Municipality, and Endeshaw Mekuanint,
Team Leader of the Disaster Prevention and Food Security Office with the
Achefer Woreda, were all sentenced for four years of imprisonment. According to the Court,
the remaining six defendants were accused of receiving a total of 170,
424 Birr in fake compensation from the Dangla Branch of the Commercial
Bank of Ethiopia, when they have no houses demolished or properties
damaged during the implementation of the project. Accordingly, the court
sentenced the defendants in the latter group for one year and two months
of imprisonment, which they have already served. Law enforcement
authorities were able to prevent the withdrawal of 163,402 Birr from the
same Bank in a similar fashion, it was learned. The Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission of the Amhara Regional State has appealed to
a pertinent judicial body for a more severe punishment of the convicts,
it was learned. |
Commission arrests five
suspects in connection with illegal land provision
ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC)-The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC)
apprehended five suspects from Kolfe-Keraniyo sub-city in connection
with illegal land provision on19 April 2007. The
Commission arrested three suspects working in land administration
department of the sub-city and two other individuals suspected of
benefiting from the illicit land provision. The
suspects that appeared before the First Criminal Bench of the Federal
High Court on 20 April 2007 were remanded in custody until investigation
is finalized. The
charges will be brought against the suspects upon the finalization of
the investigation, it was learned. This
latest move by the Commission is part of the pledge it had made earlier
to bring before the law individuals implicated in the illegal land
provision in Yeka, Bole, Akaki-Kaliti, Nefas Silk-Lafto and
Kolfe-Keraniyo sub-cities here in the capital. The
Commission said it would redouble efforts to investigate the cases in
connection with illicit land provision in other sub-cities and bring the
suspects before the law. Those
employees and individuals involved in the illegal land
provision would face the consequences, the Commission added. The
Commission thus warned individuals to refrain from joining illegal
associations and paying membership fees since such actions are illegal. Land
secured through illegal means will be confiscated and the offenders will
be brought to justice, according to the Commission. The
Commission said it was doing its level best to put in place efficient
work procedures in order to overcome problems posed in connection with
land administration in the Metropolis. The Commission reiterated that it has been doing everything in its capacity to investigate the cases in connection with illicit land provision and urged the public to rally behind it.. |
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Ex-judge
receives six years of rigorous imprisonment for bribery Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The
First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court sentenced former
municipal judge of the Kirkos Sub-city, Tegegn Shiferaw, to six years of
rigorous imprisonment and fined him 1000 Birr for bribery. In
the verdict it gave on February 26, 2007, the Court found the accused
guilty of receiving 2000 Birr in bribe from a certain Yeshiwork
Agignchew in exchange for speeding up the rectification of her marriage
certificate. The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC |
Former judge receives 8 years
of rigorous imprisonment for bribery
ADDIS
ABABA (FEACC) - Shumalem Getachew,a judge who was working at the 12th Criminal
Bench of the High Court was sentenced to eight years of rigorous
imprisonment and fined 2,000 birr. The convict received the
jail term and fine for having been caught red handed while receiving
7,000 birr (seven thousand) in bribes from a certain Jafar Berehane on
26 January 2006. The First Criminal Bench
of the Federal High Court passed the verdict on 14 February 2007 after
the convict failed to refute the evidence corroborated against him by
the Prosecution of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC). The FEACC pressed the charge against the convict on 14 February 2006, it was learned. |
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Guilty
verdict passed on 23 corruption charges ADDIS ABABA (ENA)-The
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission said that guilty verdict
was passed on 23 charges it filed against those already involved in
corruption. Ethics Education and Public Relations Department
Director, Kifle Yeshitila told the Ethiopian News Agency that the
Commission has also received tips of corruption including evidences
numbering 685 over the last six months of the current Ethiopian budget
year of which 598 fall under its jurisdiction. The Commission has also begun probing into 128 new
cases of corruption of which 19 cases were referred to the prosecutor,
he said. Kifle said the Commission has been conducting
periodic study on working procedures and practices of the Ethiopian
Customs Authority, Electric Power Corporation and the Ethiopian
Telecommunication Corporation. During the reported period, the Commission offered ethics and anti-corruption education to more than 9450 people, including students of higher learning institutions, employees of service rendering institutions in the metropolis as well as employees and inmates in prisons under the federal government, he said. |
Commission
arrests individuals for allegedly accepting bribes
ADDIS ABABA (FEACC)-The Corruption
Investigation Department of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission caught red-handed two auditors at the Revenue Department of
the Kirkos sub-city in the capital receiving 10,000 birr in bribes on 11
December 2006. The individuals demanded a tax payer, who appeared at the Department to
pay income and profit taxes of 1997 E.C, to pay them 30,000 birr in
bribes so that they could reduce the tax the person owed to the
government, which they said was a significant amount. The taxpayer agreed to give them 10,000 birr and promised to pay the
remaining 20,000 birr after completion of the work. The suspects were caught red-handed while receiving the 10,000 birr at a
hotel they met around an area locally called Megenagna on 11 December
2006. In the process of investigation, auditors confirmed that the taxpayer in fact owed the government not more than 11,000 birr, it was learned. |
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Court
sentences corruptors to 6-8 years of imprisonment Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The First Criminal Bench of the Federal High
Court sentenced seven corruptors to 6-8 years of imprisonment and fined
them 2000-4000 Birr in a trial held on 24 November 2006. The
convicts listed from 1-6 under Ahmed Idris’s file received six years
of jail term and were fined 2000 Birr with the seventh convict receiving
eight years of imprisonment and a fine of 4000 Birr. The
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC) had filed the
charges against the convicts for allegedly stealing spare parts of
vehicles belonging to the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency
and estimated at over 67,000 Birr. The
convicts listed from 1-6, who were then serving as guards at the Agency,
conspired with the seventh convict and stole the spare parts on 2
September 2006, it was learned. They
then allowed the other accomplice, the seventh convict, to drive a
vehicle belonging to the Finance and Economic Development Office of the
Arada Sub-City into the Agency’s compound and take the spare parts
away, it was reported. The
Court passed the verdict after the convicts failed to refute the
evidence corroborated against them by the Prosecutor of the FEACC. |
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Eight
corruption convicts jailed ADDIS
ABABA (ENA):- The Second Criminal Bench of the Federal High
Court, on 17 November 2006, sentenced
eight convicts of corruption to prison terms ranging from six to 14
years. It also imposed fines on them. Accordingly,
the Bench sentenced convicts Tilahun Mulugeta, Fistum Gebre - Egziabher
and Shawl Aychluhim to 14 years of rigorous imprisonments and imposed a
fine of 2000 birr on each. A
six -year jail terms were given to Captain Zenabu Aydeur, Corporal
Tibebu Kassa, Second Inspector Wubet Asemahegn, Chief Sergeant Alem
Abreha and Second Corporal Kindeya Haddush. Each of these five convicts
is also fined 1000 birr. Tilahun
Mulugeta, Fitsum Gebre Egziabher and Shawl Aychluhim were jailed each to
14 years and made to pay the stated amount in fines for having
instigated, instructed and coordinated the plot. The
prosecutor of the Federal Ethics and Anti - Corruption Commission had
filed the charges against the forenamed convicts for having taken
300,000 birr from their victim, Kebede Feysa whom they intimidated
dubbing him member of OLF. The convicts squeezed the stated amount out of Kebede, from whom they demanded three million birr after they intercepted him while he was driving to his private office in the morning of the 4th Ginbot (May) in 1995 E.C. |
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Court sentences defendant to 12 years of
imprisonment, fines him 30, 000 Birr Addis
Ababa (FEACC)- The Federal High Court sentenced a defendant to 12
years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him 30, 000 Birr on November
15, 2006 for a charge of betrayal of trust brought to him by the
Prosecution Department of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission on October 11, 2005. According
to the Commission, Mengistu Shiferaw, a storekeeper at the
Agricultural Equipment and Technological Services Share Company,
couldn’t account for the 499, 652 Birr worth herbicide which went
missing while he is in charge. The
Commission urged the public to expose such corrupt practices in a
sustainable manner. |
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Court
convicts eight individuals on corruption charge ADDIS ABABA (ENA)- The Federal High Court has convicted eight
individuals accused by the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission’s prosecutor for having squeezed money out of a man named
Kebede Baysa, who they dubbed as member of OLF (an outlawed political
entity), and whom they intimidated once again to receive more money
from. The 1st Criminal
Bench found the eight individuals guilty of one or both of the two
counts of the corruption charge at its hearing on 10 November 2006. Accordingly, Captain Zenabu
Ayder and Corporal Tibebe Kassa were found guilty of committing the
crime indicated by the 1st count; Second Inspector Wubishet
Asemahegn, Chief Inspector Alem Abreha and Second Corporal Kindeya
Haddush found guilty of commiting the crime indicated by the 2nd
count. Tilahun Mulugeta, Fitsum Gebre-Egziabher and Shawl Aychluhm were
convicted in both the counts. The
first count of the charge relates that the convicts had dragged their
victim at gun point and made him sign a 300,000 Birr cheque, which they
later withdrew from the Awash Bank. The second count relates that the
convicts had entered their target’s residence with a faked court
warrant. It
is stated in the charge file that, with Corporal Kindeya Haddush on a
lookout outside, and Second Inspector Wubishet and Chief Inspector Alem
inside Kebede’s house and about to take money from him by force-all
three were caught red-handed. The hearing was adjourned until November 17 to pass sentence on the corruption convicts. |
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Court
sentences defendant to 5 years of imprisonment, fines
him 2000 Birr Addis
Ababa (FEACC) - The Federal High Court sentenced a member of the
Federal Police to five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him 2000
Birr on December 10, 2006 for charges of bribery brought against him by
the Prosecution Department of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission back on March 19, 2004. According
to the Commission, Deputy Inspector Mekuria Yitbarek, Crime Investigator
at the Crime Investigation Bureau of the Federal Police, received 10,
000 Birr in Bribe on January 13, 2005 from a certain Tsehai Mesfin,
resident of the Gullelie sub-city in the Addis Ababa City
Administration, by promising to avoid her detention for sponsoring a
fictitious murder of a certain Gabrila Figa. The
offender was arrested based on the information that the victim brought
to the Commission, it was learned. The
convict reportedly promised to pass on the money to his bosses so that
Tsehai would not be detained. The Commission urged the general public to continue to expose such corrupt practices so that the offenders could not get away with their criminal acts. |
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Bank
Teller Receives Jail Term, Fine The Federal High Court
sentenced a bank teller to six years of rigorous imprisonment and fined
him 2000 birr on November 3, 2006 for being found guilty of serious
fraud and forgery crimes, charges brought against him by the Prosecution
Department of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEAC)
back in 2004. Yisak Hassen, who
was a teller at the Gullele Branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia,
received the penalty for paying 41, 000 Birr to a certain Melaku
Gizzaw (who has been missing since the arrest of his accomplice) by
signing a local money transfer form himself. The convict reportedly
imitated the signature of pertinent authorities and signed the document
so that his partner in the crime could withdraw the money. According to the FEAC,
the teller paid the money by creating a fake situation wherein the money
was sent to Melaku from the Dufti Branch of the Commercial Bank of
Ethiopia, which was not the case. The FEAC vowed to redouble efforts to make sure that such criminals will not get away with their criminal acts and urged the public to rally behind it in fighting such offences. |
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Corruptors receive jail terms, fine Addis Ababa (FEAC) - The
Federal High Court sentenced two defendants to three years and six
months of rigorous imprisonment and fined them 2000 birr each on October
22, 2006 for committing a corruption offence. Hilmneh Tesfaw,
customers’ relation officer with the Ethiopian Airlines and resident
of Addis, and Mohammed Juhar, senior transportation agent with
the same organization and resident of the same city were charged with
extortion in August 2004. According to the
Prosecution Department of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission (FEAC), the two defendants received the jail terms and the
fine for illegally facilitating the flight of two people through a
forged passport under pseudonyms Alemayehu Gizaw and Selam
Assefa. The Commission
substantiated the case sufficiently and the court gave its verdict in
its favour, it was learned. Despite the illegal efforts of the convicts, the passengers were arrested before they leave for London, the Commission added. |
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Corruptors
receive jail terms, fine ADDIS
ABABA (ENA)-The Federal High Court on 12 October 2006 sentenced
four individuals charged with corruption offences to 4-8 years of
rigorous imprisonment and fined them up to 10,000 birr. The
First Criminal Bench sentenced Shimeles Abebe to eight years of
rigorous imprisonment and fined him 10,000 birr while Belayneh
Workneh received four years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of
2,000 birr Tezazu Tadesse, whose case was handled in absentia and treated
under Shimeles Abebe’s file, received six years of rigorous
imprisonment and 10,000 birr fine while Zenash Meshesha was
sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment and was fined 2,000
birr. The court passed the verdict against Shimeles Abebe for illegally
transferring over half a million birr belonging to other customers into
accounts of the above-mentioned convicts while he was working as
computer operator of customers’ deposit account at Akaki Branch of the
Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. Tezazu, Zenash and Belayneh received the jail term and the fine for
withdrawing and using 445460, 26678 and 26000 Birr respectively, knowing
that the sum did not belong to them but illegally transferred to their
accounts by Shimeles. Though the court had allowed the convicts to defend themselves, they
failed to do so while Prosecutors of the Federal Ethics and
Anti-corruption Commission, who pressed the charges against them,
substantiated their cases sufficiently, the court said in its verdict. According to the amended Criminal Code, such offences are punishable by up to ten years of rigorous imprisonment and liable to fine, the court said. |
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Ethiopia, China
exploring ways of consolidating anti-corruption cooperation ADDIS
ABABA (WIC)-Ethiopia and China expressed commitment to further
cooperate in the drive against corruption and share experiences, Xinhua
news agency reported. Gu Xiulian, Vice
Chairwoman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s
Congress (NPC), who met the Ethiopian Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission delegation in Beijing on September 4, 2006 said her country
is willing to carry out anti-corruption exchanges and cooperation with
other countries, regions and international organizations on the basis of
equality and mutual respect, according to the news agency. Gu added that the
Chinese government is committed to social development, social fairness
and justice and so had devoted significant resources to the fight
against corruption. Ethiopian delegation
leader, Commissioner Ali Sulaiman, on his part commended the efforts
made and the achievements registered by the Chinese government in this
field. He hoped the two sides would be able to further cooperate on
anti-corruption endeavors and learn from each other. The delegation is paying a working visit to China with the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Supervision, it was learnt. |
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Commission
Arrests Suspect Addis
Ababa (FEAC) - The Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission
(FEAC) arrested a suspect who has allegedly been accused of cheating
through a false identity. According to the
Department of Investigation of the FEAC, the suspect, who was a resident
of the Alemgena Town, persuaded members of a family, who reportedly have
had dispute over land ownership, to give him a
sum of money so that he could do them a favour in connection with the
their case. In fact, the case had
already been brought to the attention of the Commission and was under
investigation, the Department said. The accused, who had a
forged identification card as the Commission’s investigator, was
alleged to have had an arrest warrant of the defendants in his
possession allowing him to threaten and force them to give him 40, 000
Birr as bribe to avoid their arrest in exchange for the money. Had he not been
arrested, the suspect, who had already received 1000 Birr of the stated
sum, were to collect the balance later. He was also reputed to
be making preparations to hammer out a deal with the plaintiffs to
receive a big chunk of money in exchange for a quick arrest of the
defendants, the Department disclosed. “It was amid such illegal transactions that the Commission was informed of the case prompting it to arrest the suspect in cooperation with the local community,” the Department said. “When the
investigators moved to arrest the suspect at the ‘Mexico Square’,
the latter tried to escape before he was apprehended with the help of
the local community,” it added. “The forged documents
that the accused was using to meet his illegal purposes are now in the
hands of the Commission,” it was learned. The suspect was remanded
in custody by the court until further evidence was gathered and
additional investigation made. The FEAC has
interrogated the suspect following his arrest and has been gathering
additional information about the case, it was learned. Once the Commission
finalizes gathering the necessary information about the case, it will
immediately file charges against the suspect, the Department disclosed. The FEAC urged the
Ethiopian public to report such cases to the Commission with a sense of
urgency and responsibility so that the latter can deal with them before
they cause some damage and harm. The Commission, which stressed the vital importance of public participation in the fight against corruption and impropriety, also called on the latter to continue to participate in the crusade against it with more vigour and determination. |
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Commission
to press charges against 565 cases ADDIS ABABA (WIC) - The
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEAC) has disclosed it
would press charges against 565 cases in the current Ethiopian fiscal
year. In an interview with
Walta Information Center, Commissioner of the FEAC, Ali Sulaiman, said
the Commission would file charges against 210 allegedly serious
corruption offences and 355 petty ones in the current fiscal year. Efforts would be
deployed to secure the ruling and conviction of 110 cases that were
brought before the court in the previous fiscal year, he added. Commissioner Ali said
boosting execution capacity, expanding ethics and anti-corruption
education, preventing corruption and impropriety, investigating and
prosecuting alleged corruption offences were the major focus areas in
the period reported. The Commission
accomplished over 75 percent of its plan in the previous fiscal year,
the Commissioner said. He said the public have
now realized that the Commission was indeed in the vanguard of the
anti-corruption campaign. The public are increasingly showing high interest and willingness in blowing the whistle on corruption with a sense of ownership and responsibility, he said. The Commission has set
to offer ethics and anti-corruption orientation to 25,500 students who
are due to be graduated in the current fiscal year from three
universities, according to the Commissioner. The Commission would
enhance its relations with stakeholders, whose contribution is vital to
the ongoing anti-corruption campaign, he said. The Commission would
continue to examine the working procedures of public offices and
enterprises and put forward recommendations and corrective measures with
much fervor in a bid to correct procedures prone to corruption and
impropriety, Commissioner Ali said. The Commission has plans
to receive and handle about one thousand tips-off during the current
fiscal year, he said, adding that the Commission will try to pass
decisions on tips-off on daily basis. In view of the growing
complexity and subtlety of corruption offences, it is imperative to
equip the Commission with state-of –the art technology, he said. Commissioner Ali, however, noted that the budget
earmarked to the Commission was not commensurate with the scope of its
activities. The Commissioner called on the public to champion
the cause of the Commission for the success of the on-going crusade
against corruption. The budget allocated to the Commission for the current fiscal year was over 11.5 million birr, Commissioner Ali said. |
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Court sentences corrupt individuals ADDIS ABABA (ENA)-Two individuals convicted of corruption charges as filed against them by the prosecution of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission were sentenced to five and three years’ imprisonment. The corruption convicts were sentenced to the rigorous imprisonment on Monday, June 19, 2006 by the ruling of the First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court. The individuals had been found guilty of corruption they committed while serving as officials with the Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation and Development Fund’s Gambella office, the Commission told the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) on June 20, 2006. One of the convicts who goes by the name Okok Ojulu sold out 15,003 corrugated iron sheets of 28 gauge to various contractors and workers during his office as general Manager of the ESRDF Gambella office for a period of three years, the Commission said. The other convict, Adamu Abiy was charged of taking per diems by faking field trip outings while he was head of the Social Infrastructure Department with the office, it said. The Bench in a trial on June 19, 2006 gave the convicts the prison terms after the prosecution charges had been corroborated with evidences while the convicts had failed to defend their cases. The Bench also put a fine amounting to 2,000 birr on the first defendant who gets five years in jail, while the second defendant gets three years in jail. |
Commission avails free hotline
for receiving tips-off
ADDIS ABABA (ENA)-The
Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEAC) has made available
free hotline to encourage the public to provide tips-off on corrupt
activities to the Commission. The availability of the hotline would have
paramount importance to the Commission in fighting corruption, Principal
Public Relations Advisor with the Commission, Berhanu Aseffa said on
June 10 2006. The hotline has been made available to the public
as of June 7 2006, he said, adding, any one who is willing to provide
tips-off on corrupt practices and improprieties can communicate with the
Commission by calling 994, for free. He said the public have been contributing a lot
towards fighting corruption and exposing corrupt individuals and groups. The hotline would scale up the ongoing national
efforts geared towards containing corruption, Berhanu said. The hotline remains open every day during office hours, he said, adding that, the Commission would receive tips-off even out of the office hours in the future if the need arises. |
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Commission
Arrests Suspects Addis Ababa (FEAC)-
The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEAC) arrested the
General Manager of the Wegagen Bank, Kidane Nikodimos and Former General
Manager of the State-owned Development Bank of Ethiopia, Moges Chemere,
on April 7, 2006, on suspicion that they have committed corruption
offence. The two suspects were
arrested in connection with an allegedly illegal credit guarantee bond
contract signed between the two banks to open a standby letter of credit
amounting to 6 million 645 thousand USD on behalf of a certain company
(Addis Industrial PLC). According to the
Prosecution Department of the Commission, Moges was arrested for issuing
(illegally) a written undertaking to Addis Industrial PLC giving a
guarantee and confirmation that the latter could open a letter of credit
at the Wegagen Bank to import machineries from an American Company
called 'Almi Corporation'. Almi Corporation is
owned by two Ethiopian brothers, Mulugeta Guadie and Hailemichcael
Guadie, it was learnt. The second suspect,
Kidane Nikodimos, on his part, was arrested for agreeing to allow the
Development Bank of Ethiopia (on behalf Addis Industrial PLC) to open
the standby letter of credit at the Wegagen Bank, sources said. According to the
sources, the agreement was signed in violation of the National Bank’s
Directive No FXD /07/98. The Federal High Court suspended the implementation of the agreements, it was learnt. |
Commission Presses Charges against Alleged
Corruptors
Addis
Ababa (FEAC)- The Prosecution Department of the Federal
Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission pressed charges against four
suspects, who were allegedly caught red-handed exporting stolen cables
to Djibouti. The Department pressed the charges
against two Indians, a Nepalese and an Ethiopian. In the charges of corruption it
brought to the Federal High Court against the defendants on March 5,
2006, the Department asserted that the accused were exporting expensive
cables, which were the properties of the Ethiopian Telecommunications
and Electric Light Corporations, using packs of pieces of metal rods as
a camouflage. According to some sources, the two
corporations procured the cables for a huge sum of foreign currency. Nibretu Yigzaw, an employee of the
Customs Authority, was reportedly accused of giving a safe passage for
the truck carrying the stolen cables without searching it. The remaining three defendants were allegedly caught red-handed transporting the stolen cables to Djibouti, as the first defendant gave them the safe passage illegally. |
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Court Sentences
Corruptor to Seven Years of Rigorous Imprisonment Addis
Ababa (ENA)-The Federal High Court sentenced a former employee of the
Ministry of Water Resources to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and
fined him 4000 birr on March 27, 2006 for committing corruption offence. According
to the Ethiopian News Agency, the Court passed the verdict on Taddesse
Kumma for forging two bank cheques in February, 2004 by putting an
imitated signature on them to embezzle 36,425 birr of his employer’s
money. The Court gave the verdict in favour of the Prosecution Department of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission, which filed the charge against the convict. |
Court Denies Bail to Defendants, Sends them to JailAddis Ababa (FEAC)-The
Federal High Court denied bail to five alleged corruptors, who were
charged with dispatching telephone and electric cables overseas, and
sent them to jail until their trial. The Court passed the verdict on March 20, 2006, on two
Indians, a Nepalese and two Ethiopians for illegally dispatching the
cables using packs of pieces of metal rods as a camouflage. However, the Court noted
that the defendants could appeal for bail once files have been pressed
against them. The defendants packed
the cables in two containers, loaded them on a heavy truck and tried to
transport it to Djibouti, sources said. However, the stolen
cables, which were the properties of the Ethiopian Telecommunications
and the Ethiopian Electric Light Corporations, were spotted in Afar
Region by customs authorities on its way to Djibouti. Then, the case was
brought to the attention of the Prosecution Department of the Federal
Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission, which has been making
preparations to press charges against the suspected defendants. According to sources close to the Corporations, the cables have reportedly been procured for a huge sum of foreign currency. |
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Court
Sentences two Corruptors to six Years of Rigorous Imprisonment Addis
Ababa (FEAC) - The Federal High Court sentences two employees of the
Ethiopian Airlines to six years of rigorous imprisonment and fined them
500 birr each. The
Court ruled in favour of the Prosecution Department of the Federal
Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission by sentencing Girma Abera and
Dawit Zewdie, Who were members of the Ethiopian Airlines staff, to six
years of imprisonment. According
to the Prosecution Department of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission, the defendants received the verdict for stealing three cell
phone apparatuses and a battery charger from a traveler's package. The
two loaders stole the apparatuses and the charger by rending the package
apart illegally, it was learnt. The
Department of Prosecution of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission, which brought the corruptors to court on June 24, 2005, has
been following up the case since then. |
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Court Sentences three Corruptors to Rigorous Imprisonment Addis
Ababa (FEAC)-The Federal High Court sentences three corruptors to 2-8
years of rigorous imprisonment and fined them a total of 10, 000 birr on
February 27, 2006 for committing corruption offence. According
to the Prosecution Department of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption
Commission, the Court passed the verdict on two employees of the
Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation and one businessman. A
technician for customers’ telephone lines, Hailemichael Haregewoin,
and the Corporation’s driver, Elyias Abdushikur were found guilty of
stealing 118, 850 meter cable which they sold to a businessman, Sefa
Abdurehiman. The
price of the cable was estimated at 84, 383 birr, it was learnt. The
court has, therefore, sentenced Hailemichael to 8 years of rigorous
imprisonment and fined him 5, 000 birr with the second defendant
receiving 7 years of rigorous imprisonment and 3,000 birr in financial
penalty. The third defendant, who was accused of deliberately hiding the stolen cable and purchasing it illegally, was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and penalized 2,000 birr. |
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Bank
Teller Receives Ten Years of Rigorous Imprisonment Addis Ababa (FEAC) - The
Federal High Court sentenced a bank teller at the ‘Arat killo’
Branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia to ten years of rigorous
imprisonment and fined him 10,000 birr for committing corruption
offence. The First Instance Court
passed the verdict on Beyene Mekonnen on January 26, 2006 for stealing
100,000 birr from the bank, at which he was working as a teller, through
forgery. According to the Court,
the prosecutor of the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission, who
pressed the charge against the defendant, has presented sufficient
evidence to support and substantiate the case. According to the new Criminal Law, committing such an offence, which is a mix of fraud and betrayal of trust, is punishable by rigorous imprisonment ranging from 5-25 years. In addition to that, the offenders are fined a maximum of 100,000 birr. |