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Ethiopia: Former City Officials Alleged of Unlawful House Transfers
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Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa)
4 February 2008
Posted to the web 5 February 2008
Issayas Mekuria
The Federal Ethics and Anticorruption Commission pressed charges against the former Addis Abeba City Administration Health Bureau Head and member of Cabinet, Eyob Kemil (PhD), for alleged corruption along with his deputy Etagegn Getahun (PhD).
Alemu Tesema, head of Logistics Service at the Bureau and Adem Mussa, head of the Public Houses Administration Department at the City Housing Agency, are also included in the charge.
The defendants are accused of selling six houses belonging to the City Administration located in CMC, Bole District, to non-residents of the homes following the decision of the City Cabinet to sell the houses under the Administration to the residents of the dwellings.
Eyob was a member of the Cabinet of eight instated by Arkebe Oqubay, state minister of Works and Urban Development and the then mayor of the provisional administration of Addis Abeba.
According to the charge filed at the First Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court, Eyob in 2004 requested housing facilities for medical corps coming from Cuba, which was approved. The houses include seven triple bedroom houses, nine double bedroom and six single bedroomdwellings.
Accordingly the Housing Agency had temporarily transferred the houses to the Health Bureau, which accommodated the Cubans.
The City Cabinet in July 2005 decided to privatise over 50 houses under the Housing Agency to their respective residents in the presence of Eyob, claimed the Commission. However the Anticorruption Commission stated that Eyob and his officials sold six of the houses they received to individuals that do not reside in the houses.
"Eyob wrote a letter to the Agency in September 2006 requesting the transfer of the houses to Mohammed Adem (PhD), Abiy Hailu (PhD), Alemu Tessema, Jemanesh Assefa and Senait Hailu," reads the charge. "The sixth house was transferred to Etagegn, his deputy."
The Commission estimated the value of the houses to be 317,460 Br but they were sold for 39,960 Br.
According to a document presented before the Court, the buyers initially paid a down payment of 5,994 Br agreeing to pay the remaining amount in five years time.
The Bench has instructed the suspects to reply to the Court by March 19, 2008.
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Eyob's case is now being probed in his absence as he did not return from the United States (US) after he left for a brief training over 18 months ago. The other two defendants were released on bail after they appeared before the Court.
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