Somalia’s Attorney General summons Petroleum Minister over controversial oil deal

GOOBJOOG NEWS/MOGADISHU: The Somali Attorney General Suleiman Mohamed Mohamud has issued a summons to the Federal government’s Minister of Petroleum and Minerals Abdirashid Mohamed Ahmed.

A statement from the Office of the Attorney General called on Minister Abdirashid Mohamed to appear before the Office of the Attorney General on Monday, March 25, 2022 at 11.00AM.

The summoning of Abdirashid is linked to the $7m oil exploration deal inked between the Ministry of Petroleum & Minerals with the US firm, Coastline Exploration Limited in February 2022, a deal that the office of the Attorney General says is illegal and vowed to take legal action.

In his defense, Minister Abdirashid stated that the outgoing president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo was fully aware of the signing of 7 Production Sharing Agreements with the US-based oil company. However,  the Farmaajo Presidency rejected the deal, while the Somali Prime Minister distanced himself from the agreement, describing it as illegal, and vowed to take action.