SOMALIA’S PRESIDENT SUSPENDS PRIME MINISTER OVER ALLEGED CORRUPTION

Mon 27 December 2021:

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed sacked the country’s prime minister on Monday for alleged corruption and mismanagement of public lands.

“The president decided to suspend prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and stop his powers since he was linked with corruption,” the office of the president said in a statement on Monday, accusing the premier of interfering with an investigation into a land grabbing case.

The outrageous statement from immediate former President, Mohamed Abdullahi (Farmajo) regarding the work of the PM & his failed attempt to militarily take over the OPM is a violation of the constitution & other laws, the consequences of which will be solely shouldered by Farmajo pic.twitter.com/P5gtkaiUsI

— SomaliPM (@SomaliPM) December 27, 2021

“Noting that the Prime Minister [Mohamed Hussein Roble] on 26 December 2021, appointed a new Minister of Defense without completing the ongoing investigation into interference in the ongoing investigation into the corruption of public lands owned by SNA, the work and powers of the Prime Minister have been suspended pending an investigation,” a statement issued by Somali presidency said.

In a separate post, it said Roble remained “fully committed to fulfilling his national responsibility to conduct an acceptable electoral process that culminates in a peaceful transition of power.”

Assistant information minister Abdirahman Yusuf Omar Adala called the president’s decision an “indirect coup.”

“What is going on this morning is (an) indirect coup but it will not win,” Adala said on Facebook, adding that the deployment of security forces around Roble’s office would not prevent the prime minister from carrying out his duties.

Mohamed also ordered the suspension of the country’s navy commander who previously accused the prime minister of land grabbing and misuse of public land.

On Sunday, the prime minister and the president traded barbs as the political standoff in the country deepens.

President Mohamed’s move comes a day after trading accusations with Roble of holding up ongoing parliamentary elections.

The long-delayed elections began on November 1 and were supposed to be completed by December 24, but one newly elected legislator said that, as of Saturday, only 24 of 275 representatives had been elected.

In a statement on Sunday, the Presidential office said Prime Minister Roble was “posing a serious threat to the electoral process and overstepping his mandate”.

Roble’s office later put out its own statement saying the president had spent “so much time, energy and finances in frustrating the national elections” and was “derailing the electoral process”.

In the statement, Roble said he would hold meetings to find ways to speed up the election and agree “on a capable leadership to spearhead timely and transparent elections” without offering more details on how long the process might take.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

Somalia’s Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble (left) and President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (right) .

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