GAROWE (HALBEEG NEWS) – A military court in Puntland has sentenced five judges and prosecutors to jail terms for releasing key suspects linked to piracy activities and being members of the Al-shabaab militant group.
The accused, Lieutenant Colonel Kenadid Abdiaziz Ahmed, Lieutenant Colonel Abdirahman Warsame Jama, Major Sahal Abdi Artan, Major Abdiweli Mohamed Mohamud, and Major General Adan Ali Mohamud received sentences ranging from two to five years of military imprisonment each.
The regional military court further accused the five court officials of taking bribes so as to release the prisoners but the accused persons’ lawyers said they were denied opportunity to prepare defense for their clients.
The lawyers said the judgment was solely based on the court’s verdict saying that no formal court procedure was followed during the hearing of the case against the suspects.