Sudan’s al-Bashir kept key to room with millions of euros, court hears
Sudan’s toppled former leader Omar al-Bashir was the only person with a key to a room at the presidential palace holding millions of euros, his last office manager testified on Saturday.
Speaking at al-Bashir’s trial on charges of possessing illicit foreign currency and corruption, Yasser Basheer said that the former president gave him more than 10 million euros’ ($11 million) cash in his final months of rule for delivery to different parties.
Sudan’s military ousted al-Bashir in April after months of protests. His prosecution is a test of how far power-sharing military and civilian authorities will tackle the legacy of his 30-year authoritarian rule.
The former manager, who worked for al-Bashir from September 2018 and was speaking as a defense witness, said the president once gave him 5 million euros for Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The money, Basheer said, was delivered in the presence of Abdelrahim’s brother Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the RSF and deputy head of the Transitional Military Council that ruled after al-Bashir’s ouster. He is now a member of the Sovereign Council formed in a military-civilian power-sharing deal.
Other recipients of cash included the Defense Ministry, plus military personnel and civilians for medical treatment, Basheer said, adding that he did not know the source of the cash and was only following orders.
Abdelmoneim Mohamed, an accountant at the International University of Africa, a private institution with links to Islamists, also testified in al-Bashir’s defense. He said the university’s director and deputy director received 4 million euros in cash from al-Bashir.
Al-Bashir sat in a metal cage in the courtroom wearing traditional white robes and turban.
Though he did not speak at Saturday’s hearing, he denied the charges when formally indicted a week ago.
