Court Grants Police 14 Days for Investigation on Former Somali Region President, Accomplices

Addis Ababa December  07/2018 The 10th criminal bench of the Federal Supreme Court granted police 14 days additional time for further investigation on Abdi Oumer Mohammed, former president of the Somali region and accomplices. The lawyers of the defendants contested the request for additional time. However, police requested for the additional time, arguing that the case demands deep investigation. As the crimes committed in the region in 2004 E.C were complex and committed in an organized manner, police said that extra time is important for the investigation. It added that more time is also required to talk to victims of attacks committed in the region between August 2 and 6, 2018. Police informed the court that it is also investigating the remains of 200 massacred people in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Police further informed the court that the families of the defendants are organizing themselves in clans with pre-emptive motive of obstructing the smooth flow of the criminal investigation. After hearing both sides, the court granted 14 days for additional investigation and set additional court date for the 20th of January 2019.