In a 10 page long letter with annexes addressed to the Auditor General, Members of Somalia’s Parliament, foreign Embassies, The World Bank, IMF, and international development agencies, MP Abdullahi Hashi Abib, a member of Foreign Affairs Committee, exposes in detail a rampant and unprecented level of corruption in President Hassan Sheikh administration at every level of the government.
MP Abib starts that he got access to more than
400+ gigabytes of data on detailed itemized expenditures or withdrawals from the period July 2022 to June 2023, part of the Federal Republic of Somalia accounts expenditures. And with 30+ years of experience in data mining, data analysis, and data understanding, MP Abib provides samples of withdrawals he says are highly questionable and inconsistent with the purpose of withdrawals appropriated by the Federal Republic of Somalia Parliament.
In addition, MP Abib writes that these detailed withdrawals have violated parliamentary orders, and as such, Executive Branch entities have broken the laws of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
MP Abib then provides detailed names of companies and funds disbursed without accountability, often the same company providing services to the Office of the President, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Office of the Deputy PM, the Speaker of the House, and the Army. The same companies are also providing senior consulting services, Office supplies, and ticket and travel logistics, often billing the same amount of funds month after month.
On World Bank projects, MP Abib received and reviewd over 1,800 World Bank contracts for various projects funded, and has identified a concerning trend.
He writes that “Many contracts were awarded to unqualified companies, some of whom are owned by government officials under different names. Individuals hired to execute these critical projects often lack the necessary educational background and work experience, jeopardizing our country’s security and economic future.”
On World Bank projects employees, MP Abib exposes that “A significant number of these positions have been filled by relatives, children, spouses, and other family members of top officials in the Federal Government of Somalia.”
He also adds that “relatives of members from both houses of Parliament have been hired for these lucrative [World Bank Projects] positions in exchange for votes supporting the illegal constitutional changes.”
MP Abib continues and writes that “After carefully and thoroughly analyzing and understanding this data” that “there is a Clear Road Map to defraud Public Funds and put all these funds in the hands and pockets of officials entrusted to safeguard the Public Funds. These officials request their own, relative owned, or partner owned companies to submit INVOICES with agreed prices without Public BID.”
MP Abib lists some of “the DEFRAUDING schemes developed by these officials to defraud the Public Funds” as follows:
1. CASH Withdrawals without a RECEIPT of Disbursement of Funds
2. Inflated Contracts without Public BIDS
3. Inflated Traveling Expenses
4. Repeated Rehabilitation of Residences or Offices at Inflated Prices
5. Repeated Buying Furniture at Inflated Prices
6. Repeated Buying Office Supplies at Inflated Prices
7. Repeated Food Catering at Inflated Prices
8. Procuring Expensive Equipment at Inflated Prices
9. Acquiring Training Vendors at Inflated Prices
10. Buying or Renting Cars at Inflated Prices
11. Invoicing to Fake Office Running Costs
12. Inflating Costs of Conference
13. Monthly Ticket Expenses without Traveling
14. Fake Senior Advisors
15. Paying Monthly Rent for Residence of Officials at Inflated Prices
16. Inflating Rents of Office Space or Officials Residences
MP Abib also sends a message to international donors and writes, “let me be the first to sound the alarm informing you that Somalia is in a financial mess and in public financial mismanagement, despite all the efforts from donor communities. Due to Somali owned incompetent appointees and corrupt leadership, Somalia is facing a massive financial meltdown that could harm all development efforts. We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the ongoing financial support provided to the Federal Republic of Somalia by international donors, in the absence of tangible commitments to fiscal transparency, accountability, and anticorruption measures, which significantly harm Somalia’s financial system to the point of crises with a massive consequential impact on security and stability of the region. While the Somali Federal Parliament has demonstrated efforts towards advancing accountability and oversight, the rampant corruption and wasteful expenditure that persist within the Executive Branch Entities, particularly within the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, cannot be ignored.”
MP Abib concludes his letter by imploring the international donors and Embassies “to leverage your influence and resources to support initiatives that promote transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption efforts within the Somali Parliament. By doing so, you will not only contribute to the stability and development of Somalia but also help to create an environment that is less susceptible to criminal and terrorist activities.”
Click the following link for MP Abib’s exposé of unprecented corruption at Villa Somalia: Official_Letter_On_Corruption_Abib_MP_22_05_2024
> Daljir Media
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