Addis Abeba — "The Federal Police Commission said it has filed charges against 111 "illegal digital media" outlets which were suspected of "working to make Ethiopia a center of violence" during the concluded Ethiopian Fiscal Year.

Assistant Commissioner Berhanu Abebe, Deputy Head of the Federal Police Commission's Tactical Crimes Investigation Department, told state media that in the last financial year, the Commission has carried out investigations based on tips on organized and terrorism related crimes, corruption, financial and commercial crimes as well as tax and customs related crimes.

Accordingly, of the 2,668 tips the Commission has received, it has examined 1, 438 records and sent the files to the Federal Attorney General's office. Charges have already been filed against those suspected of "working to make the country a center of violence and were operating using fake social media names."

Through investigations, "it was confirmed that these groups were working to achieve their hidden goals by inciting the people to violence," he said, adding that the 111 digital media outlets that were investigated and charged were not legally recognized by the Ethiopian Media Authority.

Currently, the owners of these "illegal digital media" outlets are placed under the law and their cases are being investigated, he said.

Individuals who are suspected defrauding and defaming banks through mobile money during the fiscal year have also been detained and charged after the cases were "confirmed that they had robbed more than 57 million birr, according to the Assistant Commissioner. The Federal Police will expand its services and has opened additional branch offices in various regional state to investigate criminal activities, Assistant Commissioner Berhanu said. AS