On 22nd
September 2016, Hargeisa Regional Court sentenced a court clerk to four years
of imprisonment for bribery charges.
The presiding
judge pronounced the judgment with emphasize that the courts will not tolerate
attempts of bribery.
The court
sentenced the court clerk in abstentia to four years of imprisonment.
Three other people were sentenced from two years to one year and six months of imprisonment
for solicitation and paying bribery, respectively.
According to the
charges, the clerk collected four thousand US dollars from two people who were
party in a civil suit at the court. He promised to pay the money to a judge in
order to rule on their favour. He gave 870 USD to a middleman and has taken the
rest.
According to the
records, the men who paid the bribery complained to the court. Apparently, they
did not realize that they were incriminating themselves in an involvement of a
criminal activity. The prosecution filled a criminal case and summoned the two
men as witnesses. They testified before the court the payment of four thousand
US dollars to court clerk in order to bribe a judge. The clerk was not at the
court. According to the judgment, he fled to Mogadishu to scape justice. Legally,
they have a right to appeal against the conviction to the higher court.
The court found
two men guilty of paying bribery whereas the clerk was convicted for receiving
bribery. The fourth man was found guilty for pretending to have influence with a public officer.
The chairman of
Hargeisa Regional Court who also presided over the case, said that this is the
first time a court in Somaliland convicts court official for bribery.
The public
welcomed this move and hoped to send a strong message. Corruption is one of the
deadly criminal activities that undermine the development and justice in the underdeveloped
world.
The Chief Justice,
Adam Haji-Ali Ahmed, promised fighting corruption in the judiciary and
repeatedly asked the people to report if any court official demands bribery.
Adam Haji-Ali Ahmed, former director of Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies
of University of Hargeisa, and chairman of Somaliland Non-state Actors Forum
(SONSAF), came to office mid last year.
Guleid Ahmed Jama
Lawyer
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