By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye
Somalilandsun – After investigation of the ongoing unprecedented wide-scale embezzlement in the finance ministry, the lifeline of our nation, by investigative journalists along with independent auditors, the conclusion revealed precarious corruption not just in lower management levels as it used to be in earlier days during Riyale’s era but in the highest officials such as the finance minister himself who is siphoning off the people’s money into undisclosed destination and bank accounts ; it’
s grotesque to expect the mullah of high calibre belonging to so called purest Muslim denomination, the Islah , to blunder the nation’s meagre resources levied from poor women selling in hot, open air and nearby dirty sewage-like streets and help certain businessmen and women to evade tax but this dangerous trend has being going unnoticed since he took charge of the ministry, however, the ongoing wholesale looting of public funds is utterly immoral and would endanger the national security in charge of volunteers who simply receive stipends, not salaries and eventually derail democracy.
Sheikh Samale said sweet and admirable statements in his succession of the ministry from Engineer Hashi which still ringing in the minds of many his audience. But it is quite disappointing when you see someone who preaching principles and values but practicing totally a different thing and committing sins more the average person does.
This independent report, a collaboration of different teamwork, disclosed budget deficits of ministries and other institutions as a result of siphoning off millions of dollars from the government into unknown bank accounts by the minister Sheikh Abdiazis Samale (even his rivals accused him of financing of his former colleagues to spread the word of Allah through bloodshed and murder that devastated much of the central and southern Somalia according to their version). The researchers of the report tried to contact the minister but he declined.
The overall financial decline has been summarized in percentages and the aggregate figure is 30 billion Somaliland Shillings is the following:
Land revenues and customs department are in deficit in Jan.-July 2012
1) Land revenues 19%
2) Ministry of Commerce is 91% in deficit from Jan-July
3) Ministry of Livestock is 88 % in deficit
4) Ministry of Fishing Resources 77% budget deficit
5) Ministry of Air and Aviation 57% deficit
6) Ministry of Agriculture 69% in seven months in row
7) Port of Berbera, the country’s lifeline, has 69% in seven consecutive months
8) The Central Bank 32% decline of its revenues with notable exceptions of Berbera and Gabiley Banks has budget surpluses.
The Sayla Customs are nil and that took people by surprise.
The minister violated the Tariff Law when he gave tax break for some businessmen of his tribe, that is, Ahmed Hassan Sed (known as Laba Afle) and Jama Omar. The tax break wasn’t done in the proper channels as none was files complaint to Chamber of Commerce for waiving tax for financial reasons.
The minister h
ad pledged 571, the largest Khat trader, to exempt tax of 1500-3000 kg of Khat, but the minister has no authority to do that as constitution defines tax as an obligation for all to keep the country running smoothly. Without tax revenues, the country would definitely collapse once and for all. Maybe the minister is running the ministry like Madrasa, his ex-trade, which he used to exempt Madrasa fees for promising Jihadists of the next generation to fuel the next crusade wars and leaderless Jihad games. Non-payment taxes are sabotaging our national army to advance towards eastern territory and to prevent spillover of vanquished militants to the backyard.
Besides, the minister had retained the Mr Omar Hassan Aalim, the man in charge of Sayla Customs, who was strongest political supporter and who also fell in love with the president Dahir Kahin to such extent that he blocked Samale from visiting Sayla during Kahin’s reign. But the minister still retains him under his administration out of clannish grounds rather than sacking him! And that may put question mark on his loyalty of his sect, the Islah rather than Al-Tihad, the lesser of two evils. Despite Samele’s lack of conviction in Somaliland as state because that is against his sectarian beliefs, his fake religiosity and show-off of old-fashioned Muslim warrior or knight will mislead innocent folks in the next round of Kulmiye Party inner elections and he will the chairman or candidacy from Muse Bihi, a great veteran and a man of great integrity who sacrificed his life in the height of hostility during the dark days.
Dirye is Somaliland Activist and Senior Editor at the Democracy Chronicles Africa’s News Edition, dirye@democracychronicles.com
This expressed in this article are solely those of the contributor thus not reflective of Somalilandsun editorial team
