Abu Dhabi court gives life sentences to eight in arms trafficking linked to Sudan war

The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal has sentenced eight individuals to life imprisonment for their involvement in an arms trafficking network connected to the Sudanese civil war, the state news agency Wam reported on Thursday.

Those convicted are Rashid Omar Abdul Qadir Ali; Salah Abdullah Mohammed Mohammed Saleh, also known as Salah Gosh; Ahmed Abdullah, known as Abdullah Khalafallah; Ahmed Rabie Sayed Ahmed; Mohammed Fath Al Beik; Yasser Al Atta; Othman Al Zubair; and Maher Abdul Jalil.

Details of the trafficking network

The court found that the network involved arms deals, commercial companies, bank transfers and cash payments linked to the supply of weapons, ammunition and military equipment to the Sudanese army. The defendants concealed the true nature, sources and destinations of the funds used in the transactions.

The court concluded that the arms deals were conducted for the benefit of one party in the Sudanese conflict and were liable to harm the UAE’s relations with the international community and endanger its interests.

The court ordered the confiscation of seized ammunition, mobile phones and communications devices used in the crime. It also ruled that the convicted individuals be deported from the UAE after serving their sentences.

Ali, Saleh, Abdullah and Jalil received additional three-year prison terms for money laundering. Othman Babiker, Khalid Yousuf Mukhtar and Ahmed Khalafallah Abdullah were also given the same sentence for money laundering.

The court further ordered the confiscation of Dh1.5 million ($408,441) from the seized funds and the deportation of the convicted individuals after their sentences.

Company involvement and fines

Six companies were fined Dh1 million each for involvement in money laundering. The companies are Rashed Omar Brokerage Company; Portex Trade Limited; Apollara Electronics Trading Company; Yellow Sand Trading Company; Wardat Al Masarra Trading Company; and Sudamina – Free Zone. Their licences were cancelled and the money obtained through the laundering scheme confiscated.

Two other men, Mubarak Ali Al Sheikh and Musab Awad Al Karim Hassan, were acquitted of all charges.

Individual roles in the scheme

The court stated that the defendants traded in weapons, ammunition and military equipment without a licence or authorisation. They brought ammunition into the UAE under the pretence of it being medical equipment and supplies, preparing to send it to Sudan. Payment was made through bank transfers and cash within the UAE.

Ali played a central role by supplying weapons, ammunition and military equipment to the Sudanese armed forces and received payments in the UAE, including about Dh8 million in cash from Jalil for one deal.

Yasser Al Atta, assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Sudanese military, requested the purchase of weapons and military equipment. Othman Al Zubair, the army’s financial official responsible for armament requirements, inspecting shipments and settling supplier payments, paid for the weapons and delivered them to Jalil, despite knowing the defendants lacked authorisation to trade weapons in the UAE.

Mukhtar, former director of Saleh’s office at the Sudanese Intelligence Service, received the commission allocated to Salah Gosh from the deal, according to Wam.

Ahmed acted as an intermediary to help Omar and his company obtain approvals from Sudanese military leaders for weapon supplies. He participated in meetings at Saleh’s residence to follow up on the first deal and informed Omar of the Armament Committee’s decision concerning the second deal. The court concluded his involvement was for financial benefit.

Al Beik, a former adviser to the Sudanese finance minister, connected Omar with others to ensure Omar’s company became a supplier to the Sudanese army despite not being involved in arms sales. He received an additional fine of Dh146,000.

The court detailed Khalafallah’s role in an arms deal, noting that his brother Ahmed Khalafallah received Dh1.85 million from one deal, despite neither brother being licensed to trade military equipment in the UAE.

The court said the convicted men participated in an integrated scheme for illicit trafficking of weapons, ammunition and military equipment using forged documents, companies and bank accounts in the UAE.