In a landmark ruling, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal has brought the curtains down on a major case involving illegal arms trafficking, ammunition, and money laundering. This case unveiled a network that intertwined arms deals with commercial enterprises and financial transactions, leading to the supply of military weapons and ammunition to the Sudanese army. The court highlighted the concealment of the origins and destinations of these funds.
Sentencing and Charges
The court sentenced several defendants, including Rashid Omar Abdul Qadir Ali, Salah Abdullah Mohammed Mohammed Saleh (also known as Salah Qush), Ahmed Abdullah (known as Abdullah Khalaf Allah), Ahmed Rabi Sid Ahmed, Mohammed Fattah Al-Beik, Yasser Abdul Rahman Al-Ata, Osman Al-Zubair, and Maher Abdul Jalil to life imprisonment for their charges. Additionally, the court ordered the confiscation of seized ammunition, communication devices used in the crime, and the expulsion of the convicted individuals from the country after serving their sentences.
Moreover, the court imposed a three-year prison sentence and a fine of one million dirhams on Rashid Omar, Salah Qush, Ahmed Abdullah, Maher Abdul Jalil Mohammed Abdul Jalil, Osman Babiker, Khalid Youssef Mukhtar, and Ahmed Khalaf Allah, for money laundering activities. The court additionally confiscated over 1.5 million dirhams in seized funds and mandated their expulsion from the UAE following their sentences.
Corporate Involvement and Financial Penalties
Several companies were also found guilty, including “Rashid Omar Brokerage”, “Bortex Trade Ltd.”, “Abu Lara Electronics Trading”, “Yellow Sand Trading”, and “Wardat Al-Masarra Trading”, each fined one million dirhams for their roles in money laundering. The court also annulled their licenses and registrations and mandated the confiscation of assets tied to the money laundering activities.
Details of the Arms Deals
The court’s verdict revealed that the defendants engaged in arms and ammunition trade without necessary permits. They reportedly imported “Giranov” ammunition into the UAE for intended air transport to Port Sudan, falsely declaring the cargo as medical supplies. Payments for the military equipment were arranged through domestic bank transfers, with cash payments made for part of the deals.
Rashid Omar played a pivotal role in arranging and executing these arms deals while coordinating among involved parties. He processed the procurement of military supplies for the Sudanese army, receiving roughly 8 million dirhams in cash from Maher Abdul Jalil as part of payment for one transaction.
Yasser Al-Ata, the assistant chief of the Sudanese armed forces responsible for armaments, initiated requests for purchasing these military supplies and secured the necessary landing permissions for the aircraft in Port Sudan, knowing the deal was executed in the UAE.
Osman Al-Zubair, the financial officer in the Sudanese army charged with monitoring supply needs, was confirmed to have paid Maher Abdul Jalil for the arms transactions, fully aware that the involved parties lacked authorization to trade arms within the country.
Wider Implications and Legal Proceedings
The court concluded that the defendants cooperated in a comprehensive scheme for illegal arms trafficking and money laundering, utilizing forged documents, companies, and bank accounts in the UAE to facilitate the flow of funds from these deals while concealing their origins.
The court pointed out that these arms transactions took place amid an ongoing armed conflict in Sudan and benefitted one of the conflict’s parties. The use of UAE territory and its financial system for such activities was deemed harmful to the nation’s international relations, highlighting the severe consequences of violating international restrictions on arms supply.
In the course of these proceedings, the UAE Attorney General Dr Hamed Saif Al Shamsi ordered the defendants’ prosecution after the investigations revealed an organised network dedicated to arms trafficking and related money laundering operations through companies and banking systems in the country.