Somalia’s attorney general has called for tough measures to fight corruption which has long been a major public complaint in the country, warning accountability and investigations against ‘unscrupulous’ officials in the government.
Ahmed Ali Dahir says despite challenges facing the judiciary system including powerful officials, who may evade probes, there would be strict enforcement of the anti-corruption regulation that may see high-profile convictions, a scenario which has never happened in Somalia.
“There will be accountability, investigations and those who abuse their power will never get away with it.” He warned at a press conference Thursday.
Mr. Dahir has also revealed widespread cases of land grabbing by officials who use their political immunity as licences to ‘rob’ public and civilians, warning prosecutions and random inquiries against, suspected officials.
According to local government t officials, Mogadishu continues to witness a wave of disputes over land ownership with the return of thousands of Somalis from the diaspora who said they are trying to reclaim their lands sold or dispossessed by ‘fake’ owners.
Despite the new security and development progress, Somalia continues to stay on top of the world’s most corrupt countries’ index every year with widespread backroom deals seem to be occurring all the time.
Although, Somalia’s current government has shown a determination to fight corruption which they said represents a major threat to the country’s stability, no official has so far been charged or removed from public offices for stealing public funds.
According to a new report by the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, there have been alarming corruption cases by Somali officials exploiting the country’s weak financial system. Lack of political will by leaders to fight corruption also plays a major role in the increasing corruption cases in Somalia, according to the group.
Financial analysts say the ‘rampant’ corruption cases in Somalia continue to choke the country’s post-war economic growth which threatens to tarnish the country’s image.
