Corruption report a step towards transparency in Somalia

By Mahmoud Mohamed in Mogadishu

July 24, 2012

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A report implicating Somali leaders in wide-scale corruption is a step towards accountability and transparency in the institutions of the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Somali political analysts say.

  • The UN report identifies senior leaders in the Transitional Federal Government as participating in corruption, including President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (above), Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aadan. [Mustafa Ozer/AFP]

    The UN report identifies senior leaders in the Transitional Federal Government as participating in corruption, including President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (above), Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aadan. [Mustafa Ozer/AFP]

Between 2009 and 2010, 70% of money intended for development and reconstruction in Somalia went missing as a result of corruption and embezzlement by top leaders, a recent report by the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said.

The report named several top Somali leaders specifically, including President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aadan.

Somali leaders whose names were mentioned in the report as accomplices in corruption denied the allegations.

"The UN monitoring group is on the wrong path towards peace in Somalia," Ahmed said at a re-election campaign event in Mogadishu on July 18th. He said the timing of the report, which comes a month before the scheduled end of the transitional period, "aims to damage the TFG's reputation".

The president said his government is "ready for accountability and transparency".

The prime minister's office also denied the accusations, calling them "absolutely and demonstrably false".

Transparency puts corruption in check

"The UN Monitoring Group report is a good beginning for accountability to fight endemic corruption in TFG institutions," said parliamentarian and presidential candidate Abdirahman Abdishakur. "Over the years, successive transitional governments have been paralysed with corruption."

Abdishakur said mismanagement of funds has contributed to the lack of progress towards building effective institutions of governance.

"This report, which implicates senior TFG officials in corruption, will help improve the performance of the next government's institutions, which will take over power in August, making it more accountable and thus more legitimate in the eyes of the Somali people," he said.

Abdishakur said Somalia will not be able to move forward unless corruption is wiped out.

"We cannot get rid of this phenomenon without a national strategy to combat corruption, administrative reforms, rule of law, a culture of integrity and transparency, and oversight of financial institutions so we can preserve national resources and public funds," he said.

Abdishakur also called for a national strategy to establish a more robust system that allows for accountability and transparency to eliminate corruption.

Corruption could threaten peace, security

The UN report is not the first to show Somalia is plagued by rampant corruption, said Dahir Hussein, assistant dean of the college of political sciences at Mogadishu University.

"Due to misuse of public funds and embezzlement of financial aid allocated for Somalia, Somalia has been categorised as the most corrupt country in the world for the past few years," Hussein said.

Transparency International, the global civil society organisation against corruption, has ranked Somalia as the most corrupt country in the world since 2008, tying with North Korea in 2011.

Hussein called for prosecuting any official found to be complicit in corruption or embezzlement of public funds.

"We have to confront politicians who are found guilty of corruption and the consequences of corruption," he told Sabahi.

The UN report said failure to address corruption could threaten efforts to restore security, peace and stability in the country.

"It is quite sad that whatever meagre funds that are available and are crucial to restoring security, reconciliation, reconstruction and helping victims, are being used for political purposes and personal interests by corrupt officials so they can stay in power, while millions of Somalis do not have clean drinking water and many are without shelter," Hussein said.

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Reader's Comments

  • aaliya
    August 20, 2012 @ 04:00:30AM

    Is it Abdirahman abdi shukur, the one who is talking about the corruption and the bad government and mismanagement!?oooh please give me a break, is he not the one who signed the contract of dumping the toxic to our sea/ocean and benefit from there??!! As many people said in here its time for repent to Allaah and ask forgiveness and let’s repent for our wrong doings and sine and pray to Allaah to help stop His wrath on us. we need to pray to Allaah to help us inorder to get reappearance our unity once again inshalah. We have seen different scenarios, we have seen islamist groups who not using the sharica law accordingly,and we’ve seen educated people who acts as patriots and then work for their own personal interest only. the worldlords was even better then these because we could live under the tribe’s leaders as long you pay the ISBAARO FEES,You could satay safely! ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER, Guys!!so everyone is carrying message so let’s speak up with good intention and condemn and spread the bad ones,and paraise the good ones, so nobody can mislead the innocent people.!! thanks for the oppertunity

  • xamse cabdi
    August 19, 2012 @ 03:54:44PM

    It is shocking for a leader whose people die of hunger to embezzle funds.

  • Ali fadhaa
    August 18, 2012 @ 05:32:15AM

    I want to say that it is important to protect the country, people and the religion and defend by doing justice, equality and unity. I want to say that nothing can be done about corruption in Somalia at the moment because there are no leaders elected by the society and we will remain here until we hold free and fair election. OH! GOD, GET US TO UNITE THE SOMALIS FROM AMONGST OURSELVES.

  • FU.AAAAAD
    August 17, 2012 @ 03:21:02PM

    MY BROTHERS, ELECT PROF AHMED SO THAT YOU GET JUSTICE.

  • maxamuud axmed camir
    August 16, 2012 @ 04:41:28AM

    I think it is time to hold corrupt government leaders accountable for their actions. Corruption has affected some of the Somali embassies overseas; among them being the Somali embassy in Djibouti which has embezzled the money allocated for training the Somali Soldiers and bought very many vehicles worth 50,000 dollars. This money could have been used for training soldiers that could protect the people. If those people who regularly misappropriate Somalis’ resources are not brought to book, then we will go nowhere.

  • Garaadka Dhalin yarada Jamhuuriyadda Somaliand
    August 15, 2012 @ 05:39:14AM

    First, peace be upon you my friends. I swear, it is a really sad to see the leaders embezzling the aid that was meant for the ongoing war and famine stricken people. They will be punished for the crime they have committed against the Somali people. We belong to God and to him we shall return. The country is rules by rude and insensitive leaders.

  • mohamud gaani
    August 14, 2012 @ 08:26:12AM

    I am a writer known as Mahamud Gaani I am praying to the almighty God to help Somalia for He only is able to do so, May God help us for You are able, amen amen amen.

  • Ali Abdirahman Adan
    August 13, 2012 @ 07:30:04AM

    If the president himself is claiming that his goverment is clean and that they ready for delegations and we know that the rate of corruption is alerming more than any other country in these continent then we conclde that three leaders should be thrown off from the country and thats the time we can say the rate of corruption can be lowerd otherwise somalia will last like that forever

  • Ali Abdirahman Adan
    August 13, 2012 @ 07:20:05AM

    For the coming presidential election in somalia, i support Sharrif Hassan the former speaker to be the coming president of Somalia since he has the ability of administration and politics as well and for Sheikh Sharrif i say no since he has taken his time and there was no improvment Secondly these goverment things that since the country does not have peace and without peace there was no education they managed to blind us by consuming all the money that was ment 4 re-establishing the nation but the money is already gone and it was behinded by the former president and and he is still contesting without seeing the shame of what he did , nway there is no peace that we are expecting 4rm anwhere but God can only manage that

  • jaamac axmed
    August 11, 2012 @ 04:45:12PM

    You, stop tribalism and these other hatred you are spreading. If you want to say something about people, you should talk straight or else stop telling us about tribalism and the grudges you nurse against people. By this I am referring to the leaders of the transitional federal government of Somalia. Is it only Sheikh Sharif when you are taking him as an example and posting his picture? You should stop this rubbish and hatred you are nursing or else you will be hit in the head because you are not better than other people. Tread carefully; we know where you are.

  • abdikarim awes
    August 11, 2012 @ 03:59:42PM

    The comment about corruption by the world is good. They have given financial aid to strengthen the security to the Transitional Federal Government because if there is no security, there is no administration system that can go on. Peace and security are the basis of human life. I would like to ask the question: if the leaders are claiming the report written about them is wrong, what caused the organizations that could enforce security in the country not to operate?

  • mo firdaws
    August 11, 2012 @ 02:49:42PM

    Somalia is bigger than what is being said about it and I pray to God to give us a government that will benefit us. Amen.

  • khadar cabdi laahi
    August 11, 2012 @ 07:46:00AM

    Somalia has fallen into a ditch now whether you understand or not understand.

  • siciid
    August 11, 2012 @ 03:48:46AM

    What this website writes is right and all those things were taken by those people who pocket million dollars in the name of Somalia and thereafter blame those claiming to be the leaders of the government for being corrupt for the little they take.

  • cabdilaahi saciid
    August 10, 2012 @ 10:58:47AM

    A thief begotten by a thief who doesn’t feel shame, proof. He lost his conscience a while back but people thought he felt shame like them. I would like to say that he who can’t tell when it’s over is surely desperate.

  • maxamed
    August 10, 2012 @ 03:43:24AM

    We are at a transition period now.

  • abdikadirhassan
    August 10, 2012 @ 03:31:26AM

    It is good for all those leaders who are spearheading the people today to be taken to court. Those who are boasting of having wealth and claiming to be able to buy those positions for neutral leaders in the forthcoming new parliament, should not be elected. People should differentiate visionary leaders from those driven by greed. If the Somalis fail to differentiate those 2 types of leaders, then it will not be possible for them to get good leaders. 1. Somalis should learn how to become patriots 2. They should be able to differentiate good leaders from bad leaders. 3. They should also repent to God about the sins they committed sincerely.

  • taakiyuu ozaahiir
    August 8, 2012 @ 10:01:49AM

    Somalia seems to be emerging from the ditch, praise to God. As Somalis in Diaspora we promise to help Somalia, God willing,,,,,

  • muscab
    August 8, 2012 @ 08:55:37AM

    After greetings, this seems to be the truth a lot. They accumulated money by denying it to public it was meant for and keeping it in the banks as the president and those in his government were accused of. We hope to refuse this once from them.

  • ziimoow i osman
    August 6, 2012 @ 05:35:30PM

    The “hyenas” cabinet will only scavenge in where a camel dies and their sounds can only be heard at night because they fear to be seen during the day. When they want to hunt down a camel, they will be led by their team leader being led by a jackal. What I am trying to describe in this piece of literature are the Somalis who make noise wherever they find something like the wild animals do. Their leaders are like hyenas that are not found during the day but hunt during the night with the support of some people who locate for them where there is a good hunt like the jackal. The Somalis’ hope is beyond recognition by running to anywhere these hyenas make noise.

  • Mohamed Olad
    August 6, 2012 @ 02:56:50AM

    It is a very important issue for us to protect public property, human rights and the lives of innocent people. We have to build a nation with a military force responsible for putting government organization to accountability, protecting our territory and defending the nation. An issue worth noting is the development of a mechanism for putting the government leaders to accountability so that they don’t loot the public as has been reported by the media.

  • musa hassan sheikh
    August 3, 2012 @ 10:52:03AM

    Let’s fear God and forgive one another. No one was particularly a target to what happened to us in the past 20 years as every Somali person was affected. Let’s repent and pray to God to help stop His wrath on us. What has befallen us was not planned by only one person. Somalis were united and I pray to God to help us return our unity. Amen.

  • said mahamoud
    July 30, 2012 @ 03:42:27AM

    i am moussa ia am sayin somali is not in this bad action you must fight eveyone who against the covernement that is my advice.

  • dulqaad
    July 27, 2012 @ 01:12:58PM

    Somali leaders are thieves. They have stolen at a time when some other thieves shy away from stealing and cannot steal and some of the people they were told to assist have died from hunger and some are about to die. They pocketed millions of dollars meant for the people through corruption. They all deserve their hands and legs to be chopped off and put in life imprisonment.

  • mohamed
    July 27, 2012 @ 05:49:01AM

    The leaders of the government have to step down since they were accused of massive corruption. That is what is required.

  • Cabdurisaaq Mohamoud
    July 25, 2012 @ 03:38:18PM

    The description given by Abdishakur and Dahir about corruption is accurate. Since the transitional federal government was formed to the moment, from the regime of Abdikassim through to Abdullahi Yussuf to Sheikh Sharrif, international organizations and some other countries in the world have given financial aid to the transitional federal government to restore security in Somalia which has no sound economy to make it possible for the government to rule. This is because there is no order if there is no security. Peace and security are important for human life. My question is; if the leaders are claiming the report written about them is wrong, what caused the organizations that could enforce security in the country not to operate?

  • abdulahi iiman
    July 25, 2012 @ 02:13:07PM

    Government officials have failed in assisting their people who are facing difficulties. Even though collecting taxes and creation of programs is not possible in a country that was in civil war for 22 years and despite the fact that there is a lot of hype in the report, they could not afford to benefit these people who were affected by wars, famines, human trafficking and sea poisoning with the humanitarian aid they receive. This report came during the transitional period stated in the road-map. It seems this was meant to affect the coming election as the way things are going will make Somalis not understand one another.

  • ALVIN
    July 25, 2012 @ 06:52:58AM

    somali leaders should restructure there country into an organised nation free of corruption because any efforts to undermine the international community may result into delay in establishing developments in somali.Those found quilty should be investigated and prosecuted to ensure embezzlement of fund does not recur.

  • suldaan
    July 25, 2012 @ 01:46:07AM

    I think, Somalia which was at first falling into a ditch has now been allowed to fall into the ditch at a faster speed and with no difficulty. May God save Somalia

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