Nairobi (HAN) April 6th, 2008- The Ethiopian Mafia and the Bankers who masterminded the recent gold fraud at the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) have left the country before police started to arrest suspects.
Reliable sources told The Reporter that the individual who first started to supply gold plated steel to the NBE was Asmare Ayalew. In 2005 Asmare’s close friend called Samson went to NBE with a forged gold export license named Kefeyalew Umeta Export. Samson, who used the fake identity, Ketyalew Umeta, as his name previously served in the Addis Ababa police commission with the rank of sergeant.
Samson (Kefyalew Umeta) gave a power of attorney to Asmare, which enabled Asmare to supply gold to NBE on behalf of Kefyalew Umeta and to receive payments. According to information obtained from NBE in 2006, Kefyalew Umeta supplied 239.36748 kg of gold with a total value of 35,924,502.59 birr.
From July to December 2007 Kefyalew supplied 222.9623 kg of "gold" valued at 35,974,160.34 birr. Sorces told The Reporter that Asmare was supplying the product to NBE on behalf of Kefyalew Umeta and the payment was transferred to Asmare’s bank account in the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE). Sources said Asmare supplied the product to the NBE by bypassing the Ethiopian Geological Survey’s Central Geo-Chemical Laboratory which is supposed to inspect the gold. Asmare and Sason had wooden boxes which NBE gives to gold exporters.
They also had forged seal of the Ethiopian Geological Survey. According to information obtained from NBE, Kefyalew Umeta Export supplied 529 kg of "gold", which only 30 kg was real gold. In 2005, the laboratory inspected 30 kg of gold brought by Kefyalew Umeta Export. The laboratory also inspected eight gm of real gold brought by Kefyalew but it was not supplied to NBE after the inspection.
According to sources, at least 200 million birr payment was transferred from NBE to Asmare’s account in CBE. Sources said Samson (Kefyalew Umeta) and Asmare left the country in September 2007. Sources added that Asmare now resides in the US while Samson is in Australia. Asmare helped other individuals who collaborated with him to get out of the country.
Asmare got an investment license to establish a big construction company here in Ethiopia which he used to legally send the money out of the country. Sources said Asmare opened a letter of credit at CBE claiming that he wanted to purchase heavy duty construction machineries from the US. The money was wired to a construction machinery manufacturing company in the US through City Bank. However, after Asmare went to the US he took the money from the company saying he had changed his mind. Asmare and Samson took their families with them.
The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s Prosecutor is expected to file charges against 26 suspects who are under custody accused of an alleged involvement in the gold fraud on the coming Monday. Sorces said some of the business people under custody learnt about the fraud from Asmare and Samson.
When the commission took the case to the Federal High Court the file was called under the file of Kefyalew Umeta. However, now the file is called under the file of Mudesir Mohammed. Mudesir, owner of Sofam Enterprise, is in custody together with his four brothers and one nephew. Four individuals from the Ethiopian Geological Survey, seven from NBE and 15 businesspeople and other individuals. According to the Federal Auditor General report, the NBE has lost 158 million birr. However, sources said Samson and Asmare defrauded the bank of over 200 million birr and this one was not included in the report. The court case is adjourned for April 7.
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