Somalia jails four government officials for stealing Covid-19 funds



A Somali court on Monday sentenced four government officials to jail for having a hand in the theft of public funds meant for Covid-19 emergency response.

The Banadir Regional Court, which covers crimes committed in Mogadishu and surrounding locations, found the four guilty following a case that drew public scrutiny in the use of the funds.

The case arose in April, just a month after Somalia reported its first case of Covid-19. At that time, the Ministry of Health revealed that a number of officials were under investigation for diverting public money.

Court documents released on Monday did not indicate how much each of them stole but the Ministry of Health said in April that between $42,000 and $45,000 had been spent in unclear circumstances.

A written verdict read by the chief judge of the regions stated that the court found the officials guilty of committing corrupt acts and sentenced them to different terms as well as imposed varying fines.

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