Central Bank, Finance Ministry officials used fake stamps, documents in airport revenue racket

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank based at Aden Adde Airport used fake stamps and falsified documents to funnel out millions of dollars, the regional court in Mogadishu heard today.

The Office of Prosecutions tables documents and stamps before the court which it said were used by the officials to circumvent legal procedures in the revenue sections of the airport.

“We have submitted copies of the documents found during the investigation, some of which were fake, while some of them had fake stamps on them which are not the ones intended by the Ministry of Finance to be used in the foreign tax office. serving foreigners,” Deputy Prosecutor Farah Abdirahman Jama told the court.

Jama said the officials identified as Abukar Mohamed Ali who is the manager of the land tax office of the Ministry of Finance at Mogadishu airport, Mohamed Adan Abdullahi who was the manager of the Central Bank of Mogadishu airport branch and Abduqadir Abdi Sodal, the Central Bank cashier in the revenue department committed the said offences.

The Court heard that officials were also involved in money laundering after it was established they moved large amounts of money between their personal bank accounts.

In one instance, the prosecutor presented to the court receipts of visa extensions for foreigners in which an extended visa was issued on April 8 and payment made on April 15 this year. He said the officials denied the government revenue by issuing out visas and later collected the money through their channels.