By RFPosted on 19-08-2019Modified on 19-08-2019 at 20:53

Dismissed on April 11 after four months of unprecedented popular protests, the former head of state must now respond to accusations of corruption.

This is the third time Omar al-Bashir has appeared in public since his fall. The first one dates back to his arrest last April , and the second to his appearance before the prosecution in June , framed by an imposing military escort.

Even escort that Monday morning when the fallen president arrived at the court, in immaculate white dress, wearing his traditional turban. He appeared behind an iron cage, framed by soldiers, and greeted by the " Allah Akbar " of his supporters in the hall. Supporters whom he responded by chanting the formula in turn.

The opening of the trial was originally scheduled for Saturday, August 17, but it was postponed sine die , while the signing ceremony of the power-sharing agreement between civilians and military was scheduled the same day.

The charges against the former head of state are "possession of foreign currency" and acts of "bribery" and "trading in influence," according to the prosecution.

It was the money issues that dominated this first day. These bundles of notes found in his residence after his arrest, and complaisently filmed at the time by state television. But also - new fact brought to the court by one of the investigators - the 90 million dollars which would have been offered to him in several payments: 25 million dollars of the Crown Prince Saudi Mohammed ben Salman and 65 million dollars on the part of the king Abdallah, deceased in 2015 .. The former president made no comment. The next hearing is scheduled for next Saturday.

Ahmad Ibrahim el-Taher, leader of the former Sudanese president's defense team, was released from the courthouse.

" During this procedural hearing, the prosecution introduced two witnesses. These witnesses were listened to and questioned, first by the prosecution, then by the defense, which asked them many questions. An upcoming hearing is scheduled for Saturday. It will still be devoted to the prosecution and we will start hearing the defense next week. The prosecution will decide the outcome of today's hearing. For that I could not say more but we can say that things are in the sense of the defense, "he said.

" Of course, there is a huge media trial against Omar al-Bashir. There are excessive charges. They say that the president has stolen here and there that he has transferred money abroad ... This is a monstrous trial, the one that takes place outside this room. But what happens inside the courtroom is quite different. It is about evidence, and so far, the court has not brought any evidence, "added Master Ahmad Ibrahim el-Taher.

Request for a trial for crimes

In Sudan, many citizens are protesting against the former Sudanese president's corruption verdict. They ask justice and the next civilian government to try Omar al-Bashir for all the crimes he committed during the thirty years he held power.

Moawiya Khodr al-Amine, who claims to be the lawyer for one of the victims, claims to have filed a case to escalate the al-Bashir case before the Attorney General to include more serious charges. He was speaking on Monday before the press, at the exit of the court.

" We are starting a new area in a new Sudan. We have a new justice in a state of law ... The martyrs fallen during the era of Omar al-Bashir were slaughtered by the arms of this regime and by the directives of Omar al-Bashir. The former president was the cause of all these martyrs. He's a criminal, a killer. We consider that he must be accused of killing innocent citizens, committing ethnic crimes and forcing forced displacement on people in Darfur and other people in Sudan. For the thousands of Sudanese he killed, we will refer this file to the Attorney General of the Civil Government to take into account these accusations during the trial of this criminal, "he said.

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