By RFIPosted on 14-12-2019Changed on 14-12-2019 at 11:27

In Sudan, former President Omar al-Bashir was sentenced to two years of "house arrest" for corruption, a few months after his dismissal by the army under pressure from the street.

Omar el-Béchir, 75, dismissed on April 11 after 30 years in power , has been tried by a "special court" since August for funds collected from Saudi Arabia. The former Sudanese president was finally sentenced to two years of "house arrest" on December 14, 2019.

" It is a political trial ," Mohamed al-Hassan, his lawyer, repeated to the press, who notably assured that the money had not been used for personal purposes but in the form of donations. According to a witness at trial, the former president thus gave some five million euros to the paramilitary group of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). If the former head of state admitted to having received a total of 90 million dollars from Saudi leaders, the trial concerns only 25 million dollars received, shortly before his fall, from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Extradition ?

This first trial did not mention the heavy charges brought against Omar el-Béchir by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued against him two arrest warrants for "war crimes", "crimes against humanity" and "genocide" in Darfur. This western Sudanese province was the scene of a war between rebels and pro-government forces that left 300,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced, according to the UN.

To date, the Sudanese transitional government has not authorized the extradition of the ex-leader to The Hague, where the ICC sits. If Sudan has not ratified the founding treaty of the ICC, the country has a legal obligation to arrest Omar el-Bashir. The investigation into the crimes in Darfur was carried out under the mandate of the United Nations, of which Sudan is a member. The Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), which led the challenge against Mr. Béchir, said they had no objection to an extradition.

In addition to the corruption case and the charges before the ICC, Omar el-Béchir may have to answer for other alleged crimes before the justice of his country. On November 12, the Sudanese authorities issued a new arrest warrant against him for his role in the 1989 coup, which is being investigated by a special prosecutor's office. According to the attorney general, Omar el-Béchir is also implicated for murders committed during the demonstrations which led to his ouster. To date, he has not had to answer for these charges.

(with AFP)

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