Five Fertilizer Smugglers Fined and Imprisoned
The North Shewa Zone High Court has convicted five individuals involved in the illegal smuggling of 964 quintals of fertilizer. The defendants were caught using forged receipts from the Agricultural Corporation to transport the fertilizer and the seized fertilizer has been sold to the government.
Charges and Convictions
Oromia region’s North Shewa zone prosecutor, Shimeles Asredin, filed charges against Binwe Belay, Lemeneh Kibret, Elias Lemma, and Shura Hailu. The charges stemmed from their violations of Proclamation No. 23 against Corruption (Articles 2 and 3) and Article 9 of Chapter 2.
- Shimeles Asredin: Prosecutors alleged that Asredin was transporting 450 quintals of fertilizer using a vehicle with fake Agricultural Corporation receipts. He was apprehended in Dida Heto, Fiche city, North Shewa Zone, while attempting to transport the fertilizer to Amhara Region.
- Second Defendant: The second defendant (unnamed) was accused of transporting 432 quintals of fertilizer using a vehicle with forged documents. It is claiming to be from the Agricultural Corporation. The fertilizer was allegedly destined for Kuri Kebele village, Kuyu Woreda, Amhara Region, when the defendant was arrested in North Shewa Zone.
- Lemeneh Kibret Tewabe: Prosecutors charged Lemeneh Kibret Tewabe with transporting 60 quintals of fertilizer on January 25th, 2016. He was reportedly apprehended in Dida, Fiche city, at 8:00 PM while en route to Amhara Region.
- Elias Lemma and Shura Hailu: The charges against store manager Elias Lemma and Shura Hailu, a salesperson at the Basic Savings Cooperative in Debeli Genjo Kebele, North Shewa Zone, alleged that they conspired to illegally transport 22 quintals of fertilizer for personal gain. They were apprehended by security forces while transporting the fertilizer.
Court Decision
After reviewing the prosecution’s evidence and witness testimonies, the court found the defendants guilty. Each defendant was sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 3 years and 7 months to 5 years, along with a fine of 1,000 birr.
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