Ethiopia releases activists and politicians and announces it will start a dialogue with the opposition

The Ethiopian authorities released two senior opposition figures, and the government said it would open a dialogue with figures from the country's political opposition.

The official Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation said on Friday that the authorities have released two senior opposition figures after the opposition Balderas Real Democracy party announced the release of its leader Iskandar Nega.

The authority said in a tweet on Twitter that Jawhar Muhammad, who also owns a media company, and Bekele Garba had obtained a "pardon" from the authorities along with several other political activists whom the authorities had arrested and charged with various crimes in 2020.

In a related context, the Ethiopian government said that it will open a dialogue with figures from the political opposition after announcing the release of a number of prominent opposition leaders.

"Dialogue is the key to lasting peace, and mercy is one of the moral duties of the victor," said the statement issued by the Government Communications Office.

In September 2020, Iskandar Nega, who founded the Balderas Real Democracy party, was charged by the Supreme Court with terrorism.

Authorities arrested Iskandar, an opposition blogger and journalist, earlier in 2020 after unrest following the murder of political singer Hashalo Hundesa in Addis Ababa.

The trial followed a wave of unrest that erupted after the murder of Hashalu, who is widely regarded among many Oromos, the largest of more than 80 ethnic groups in Ethiopia.

At least 178 people were killed in the Oromia region and the federal capital.

Iskandar, an Amhara, was convicted along with more than a dozen other activists, including politician and media mogul Jawhar Mohamed, an Oromo.

It was not clear whether the authorities released others.

Justice Ministry officials did not respond to requests to confirm Iskandar's release or explain the reasons for it.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose forces loyal to him have been fighting Tigray rebels in the north since late 2020, has spoken of the need for national reconciliation in recent weeks.

Jeune Afrique: Concerns in Algeria about the establishment of a body to investigate the property of public sector employees

The French magazine “John Afrique” said that the establishment of a new body in Algeria to investigate the manifestations of wealth among public sector employees raises great concerns among specialists. This announcement had the impact of an earthquake on the Algerian state administrations and companies.

For the first time, public officials will be the target of investigations into their property and assets, as President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered the acceleration of the process of strengthening the legislative system in order to fight corruption in line with the amendments introduced by the constitutional reform on November 1, 2020.

On the second of this January, the presidential order began to materialize through the Cabinet's examination of a preliminary draft law that defines the method of organizing, forming and working of the High Authority for Transparency, Prevention and Combating Corruption.

However, the scope of this supreme anti-corruption authority has not been specified. And “John Afrique” quotes Boubacar Salami, a tax expert, as saying: “In my opinion, this body will have the possibility to open an investigation with any official, government employee or executive in the state.”

The French magazine went on to say that many CEOs enjoy a lifestyle that is not entirely compatible with their only source of income (salaries). The treasury and the public authorities have the right to ask questions: How can a senior official whose salary is 100,000 dinars, 200,000 dinars, or even 300,000 dinars obtain real estate worth tens of millions, a luxury car, and travel?

Although there are those who believe that there is a very strong political will to restore the confidence of the Algerian citizen, there is some caution among many, who consider that it is work on the ground that will give an idea of ​​the value of this new body to investigate the manifestations of wealth among public sector employees.

The cases investigated by the financial judges and those in which judgments have already been passed have highlighted the exceptional discrepancy between the financial position of the responsible person when he was appointed and the financial position established by the competent judicial authorities after the end of their duties, in the framework of the investigations conducted between 2019 and 2020, referring to To the issues that affected the circles of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika .

Specialists wonder to what extent this body will be fair and equitable through the investigation, and the investigations should include the CEOs of public companies who are elected by the board of directors alone, the heads of sports federations, senior officers and generals of the national army, as well as members of the Supreme Judicial Council, as the The Algerian judiciary is by far the most corrupt sector in terms of taxes and customs, according to experts and observers.

Moreover, the resources that will be provided to the High Authority for Transparency, Prevention and Anti-Corruption also raise many questions. Specialists stress that this body can only perform its mission under conditions in which it enjoys the support of all other control institutions, including the tax administration, which must be modernized and purged of its corrupt elements.

Thus, experts say, for now, there is still a long way to go. Therefore the declaration of assets must lead to a due verification of all its component elements. There is always a temptation on the part of those concerned to reduce or underestimate the value of their movable and immovable property.

Egyptian businessman imprisoned for human trafficking and assaulting girls

The Egyptian Public Prosecution decided, on Friday evening, to imprison businessman Mohamed Al-Amin, after accusing him of “trafficking in human beings and assaulting girls.”

According to local media, including TeN and the private newspaper Youm7, “Cairo prosecutors decided to imprison businessman Mohamed Al-Amin for 4 days pending investigation on charges of human trafficking and assaulting some girls in orphanages.”

It was not possible to obtain a comment from members of the defense team of businessman Mohammed Al-Amin.

And Muhammad Al-Amin is a businessman close to the authorities, the founder of the CBC network, and he also owns the Modern network.

Al-Amin was a partner in both “Al-Nahar” and “Al-Nahar Drama” channels, and he was a member of the board of directors of the “Amer Group” real estate company.