Sudan's top prosecutor investigating Omar al-Bashir for 'terror finance'
Sudan's top attorney has ordered that former president Omar al-Bashir be interrogated about money laundering and "terror finance", the country's official news agency Suna reported, as protesters continue to press for a civilian government.
Maulana Alwaleed Sayed Ahmed, the country's chief prosecutor, did not provide further details about the investigation into the ex-president, Suna said in a brief report on Thursday.
Ahmed also said he was looking into the financial dealings of "leading officials of the former regime", the news agency said.
The announcement comes amid ongoing demonstrations against military rule in Sudan, as thousands of activists poured into the capital Khartoum for protests and sit-ins on Thursday.
Sudan's military toppled Bashir last month after weeks of mass protests against his 30-year rule, but the demonstrators have not been satisfied with the Transitional Military Council that took control of the country after the coup.
"The military council is manoeuvring and using different tactics to evacuate the protesters from the square," protester Ahmed Zain told MEE on Thursday, from a sit-in that has been held at the army's Khartoum headquarters since early April.
"For example, they are claiming drugs and alcohol are being used in the square, provoking the protesters."
Despite ongoing calls for change and a new constitution, Sudanese military leaders have stressed that they must remain in power, while attempting to disassociate themselves from Bashir's government.
The spokesman for the military council, Lieutenant General Shamseddin al-Kabbashi, said the "armed forces must remain in the sovereign council" due to ongoing tensions in the country.
The military detained Bashir immediately after forcing him out of power on 11 April. The new authorities later arrested leading figures in the former president's party on corruption charges.
Suna also reported on Thursday that Ahmed, the attorney general, said he had opened a probe into the death of a teacher, who was reportedly tortured and killed by security forces in the eastern town of Kassala earlier this year.
Middle East Eye propose une couverture et une analyse indépendantes et incomparables du Moyen-Orient, de l’Afrique du Nord et d’autres régions du monde. Pour en savoir plus sur la reprise de ce contenu et les frais qui s’appliquent, veuillez remplir ce formulaire [en anglais]. Pour en savoir plus sur MEE, cliquez ici [en anglais].
