(CNN)– A federal appeal court in Abu Dhabi has sentenced eight individuals to life imprisonment for their involvement in an arms trafficking and money laundering network. The court revealed evidence of arms deals aimed at supplying weapons and ammunition to the Sudanese army, along with the concealment of financial transactions through various companies and bank accounts.
Details of the Sentencing
According to the state news agency WAM, the court also imposed three-year prison sentences for several defendants convicted of money laundering, alongside fines of one million dirhams (approximately $272,290) each. Additionally, the court has ordered the seizure of assets linked to the illegal activities and the expulsion of the convicted individuals from the UAE following the completion of their sentences.
The Convicted Individuals
The individuals sentenced to life imprisonment include: Rashid Omar Abdul Qader Ali, Salah Abdullah Mohammed Salah (known as Salah Qush), Ahmad Abdullah (also known as Abdullah Khalaf Allah), Ahmad Rabea Sid Ahmed, Mohammed Fath Al-Bik, Yasser Abdul Rahman Al-Atta, Othman Al-Zubair, and Maher Abdul Jalil.
Further sentences were handed down to Rashid Omar, Salah Qush, Ahmad Abdullah, Maher Abdul Jalil Mohammed Abdul Jalil, Othman Babakir, Khalid Yusuf Mukhtar, and Ahmad Khalaf Allah Abdullah, who each received three years for money laundering, alongside the aforementioned fines. The court also confiscated 1,545,000 dirhams from seized funds and mandated their expulsion after serving their penalties.
Corporate Involvement and Additional Fines
Moreover, six companies involved in the illicit operations were fined one million dirhams each for money laundering offences. The companies — including Rashid Omar Brokerage, Portex Trade Ltd, Abu Lara Electronics Trading, Yellow Sand Trading, Wardat Al-Masara Trading, and Sudamina – Free Zone — will also have their licenses revoked and assets seized, according to WAM.
Case Background and Criminal Activities
While two individuals, Mubarak Ali Sheikh and Musab Awad Al-Kareem Hassan, were acquitted, the court outlined that the convicted group had engaged in the illegal trade of weapons and military supplies without obtaining the necessary licences from authorities. They imported munitions of the “Jiranov” type into the UAE, allegedly disguising the cargo as medical supplies destined for air transport to Port Sudan.
The court elaborated that payments for the military supplies were conducted through bank transfers within the UAE, complemented by cash transactions as part of the deals. Companies and bank accounts were used in conjunction with forged documents to facilitate the movement and hide the origins of these funds.
Key Roles within the Network
Rashid Omar Abdul Qader Ali played a pivotal role in managing the deals, coordinating transactions, and executing delivery through his company while receiving substantial cash payments within the UAE. Notably, he received approximately eight million dirhams in cash from Maher Abdul Jalil as part of the payments for one transaction.
Yasser Abdul Rahman Al-Atta, reportedly the deputy commander of the Sudanese armed forces responsible for procurement, was directly involved in authorizing the aircraft landing permissions in Port Sudan, fully aware that the deals had been conducted in the UAE.
Othman Al-Zubair oversaw financial transactions for the Sudanese army, ensuring payments for supplies while also being aware that the accused lacked the necessary permits to operate in the UAE. Maher Abdul Jalil acted as a financial intermediary, effectively controlling the flow of funds tied to the arms deals.
Additional roles were filled by Ahmad Rabea Sid Ahmed, who facilitated key approvals from Sudanese army leaders, and Mohammed Fath Al-Bik, who connected the supply chain and received payments for his consultancy in the scheme.
Judiciary Perspective
The court’s ruling indicated that the arms transactions occurred amid the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan, emphasising that the utilisation of UAE territory and its financial systems for such activities jeopardises the country’s international relations and compliance with global arms trade regulations.
The judiciary viewed the actions associated with the arms dealings, along with the forgery and use of false documentation, as part of a singular criminal enterprise, distinctly separate from the laundering efforts.
Conclusion
The UAE Attorney General, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, previously announced the thwarting of an attempt to smuggle weapons and military equipment to Port Sudan’s authority, leading to the arrest of members of the trafficking gang. These revelations emerged after investigations uncovered a plan to transfer arms shipments through UAE territory, using companies and bank accounts to obscure the true nature of the financial transactions involved.