Riyaz Patel
A Sudanese court has formally indicted ousted president Omar al-Bashir for possessing illicit foreign currency and corruption.
Bashir acknowledged that he had received $25 million from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as funds from other sources, but denied that he had used the money for his own benefit.
The foreign currency held by Bashir was illicit and had been transferred illegally, the judge said.
Bashir’s lawyer told the court that his client denies the charges and that defence witnesses would be presented at the next hearing.
The judge denied Bashir’s bail request and said a decision on the duration of Bashir’s detention would be taken at a hearing on 7 September.
Millions of euros and Sudanese pounds were found at Bashir’s residence in April when he was toppled and arrested, a judicial source said at the time.
Sudan’s military ousted Bashir after months of protests across the country, and his prosecution is seen as a test of how far military and civilian authorities now sharing power will go to counter the legacy of his 30-year rule.
Bashir, who appeared in traditional white robes in a metal courtroom cage and spoke slowly into a microphone, said his former office manager had received a message from the office of Saudi monarch Mohammed bin Salman that a sum of money in euros (worth $25 million) would be sent by private plane for extra-budgetary needs.
“It was not possible to present the money to the ministry of finance or the central bank because that would have required clarifying the source of the funds, and the Saudi prince asked that his name should not appear,” said Bashir.
“I used the money for private donations to various parties, including medical services, a university, an Islamic media channel, and the urgent provision of petroleum products,” Sudan’s former leader said.
The charges against Bashir carry maximum prison sentences of around 10 years.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague had issued arrest warrants against him in 2009 and 2010 on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region.
