Nairobi (HAN) February 03, 2007 -The Geeska Afrika Online edition, HAN (Horn of Africa News line) and our global news partners are publishing these news article to support freedom of speech and haatuf's stand to report an extraordinary historical news events in Somaliland.

Haatuf publisher Yusuf A. Gabobe and editor Ali Abdi Dini were arrested in connection with these articles.

Haatuf Newspaper's series of articles alleging corruption by President Dahir Rayale and his wife Huda Barkhad were published in 17 different editions started November 24, 2006. The last piece appeared on January 2, 2007, and in the same day Haatuf publisher Yusuf A. Gabobe and editor Ali Abdi Dini were arrested in connection with these articles.

The articles appeared under the title "How different is president Rayale's style of governance than that of late president Egal" and were written by Haatuf's reporter Mohamed-Rashid M. Farah who is still in hiding.

The articles begin by comparing how late president of Somaliland Egal and the incumbent president Rayale fared in terms of the practice of nepotism and corruption. The following excerpts of the articles relate to the charges of defamation of the president brought by government prosecutors against Haatuf editor Ali Dini, Haatuf reporter Mohamed-Rashid Farah and Haatuf Borama correspondent Mohamed Omar Sheikh. Yusuf Gabobe was charged with obstructing police officers from carrying out their duties and inciting Haatuf staff against police officers who on January 2, 2007 stormed in to Haatuf headquarters and made the arrests.

Haatuf 1282 edition (December 10, 2006)

"President Egal practiced corruption but he utilized it for buying political support and not for self-enrichment. Egal treated public funds as his own. He was generous with everybody else except members of his family, subclan and clan.

Egal the president was not susceptible to nepotism. He kept his children relatives and clan members at a distance. His children and relatives were not allowed to live in government properties or use government owned vehicles. Close relatives were forbidden to use the name of the president to further their own interests or to help others secure government jobs. His young cousin Wali Daud Egal who worked for the ministry of Finance dared not to ask for promotion or launch his own business.

Egal refused to live in a house granted to him by the state. He chose to stay in the premises of the presidency and forsake the house which is now the residence of the governor of the Bank of Somaliland Abdirahman Duale.

By contrast president Rayale practiced both corruption and nepotism. He used government money to buy properties.

Rayale's practice of nepotism is evidenced by the following:

- The exclusive rights for fishing in thee coastal area stretching from Lughaya into Zayla to Almis Fishing Company, a firm owned by one of Rayale's kinsmen. Almis Fishing was one of 10 prospectors who applied for fishing license to operate in the same zone which is rich in shrimps. But this whole lucrative area has since been declared off-limit to operators except Almis Fishing.

- As Egal's vice-president Mr. Rayale livved in a state-owned house, located behind the parliament building. After becoming president in 2002, Rayale moved to the presidency. But instead of handing over his previous residence back to the state, Rayale invited a man called Osman Sheikh Abdi to live there. Osman Sheikh Abdi who happens to be from Rayale's Awdal region doesn't work for the Somaliland government.

But he still occupies the house vacated by Rayale while many high-ranking government officials including cabinet ministers and speaker of Parliament have to live in rented houses. While Egal forsake the house given to him lawfully by the state so that a government official could live there, Mr. Rayale acted differently when he was later confronted by similar circumstances.. Unlike Wali Daud Egal [during the rule of his cousin Mohamed Ibrahim Egal], Osman Sheikh Abdi has [since Rayale took power] become so influential that a word from him [to the president] could be detrimental in deciding who should be nominated for or sacked from senior positions in the Somaliland government. Officially, Osman holds the job-title of project officer for NOW [the National Organization for Women which in effect is headed by president Rayale's wife Huda Barkhad]. Osman is also the chairman of HOPE Fishing, a company that was established following a [mid 2005] visit that he and the first lady had made together to Cairo (the company is a constant subject for gossip in Borama with some people saying that the business is actually owned by the first lady). Osman also heads HOPE Construction and the Huda Foundation which in 2005 funded the establishment of 2 more wards in Gabiley hospital. Although Osman owns a Toyota Surf vehicle, he however uses a government owned pickup.

- Osman uses his influence with the firstt family to promote his interests. Because of his connections he gets whatever he wants from government officials. For instance HOPE was awarded [this year] a contract for building a new terminal for the government-owned Somaliland National TV without bidding. Osman also got a contract to implement construction works at Hargeysa airport in a similar manner.

- Boats operating under the name of HOPE Fishing were fishing illicitly off the Lughaya-Zayla coast earlier this year [2006]. Almis Fishing [local agents for a flotilla of Egyptian trawlers] complained to the ministry of Fisheries, the ministry of Interior and the Coastal Guards about the intrusion of HOPE boats into their exclusive zone. But after all these departments failed to redress the complaint, the military commander of Somaliland troops at the western coast Mohamed Hudhuun took action by seizing the 3 [Egyptian owned] boats. The move against Osman's clients was possible only because Hudhuun happened to be a close relative of the owner of Almis shipping, Idiris Unaaye.

- Since Rayale became president the numbeer of Awdalians holding key positions within the government has increased significantly. Moreover, there have been noticeable efforts at ensuring that government officers from the region who were recruited during Rayale's time as vice present retain their positions. But the increase has not been equitably distributed among clans in the region.

For example the Reer Nuur to which both Osman and the first lady belong, received more jobs than the rest including Rayale's Jibril Younis. The disproportionality is obviously the work of Huda Barkhad and Osman.

Members of the Reer Nuur recruited after Rayale's ascendancy:

- Osman Abdi Sheikh, project officer at NOW (Besides his business and portfolio as the presidency's point man and most valuable crony)
- Abdi Dahir, Director General of Finance, Somaliland Army.
- Saleban Hussein Odyare, head of Installations section at the Hargeysa Electricity Power Station
- Farah A Abokor, Director of Finance, National agency for drought prevention
- Ahmed Nuur Goud, senior staff member of NADP
- Rashid Abdi Ege, administration and finance, Somaliland Police headquarters.
- Hassan Mohamed, Finance and administration, SNTV
- Cabdi-Samad, Secretary of Vice-president.
- Mohamed Musse Mohamed, Treasurer, Abaarso Customs point
- Hassan Nuur Faahiye, director general, ministry of Posts and Telecommunication.
- Abdillahi Qasim, Berbera Airport manager
- Farah Saeed, director, finance and administration, National Printing Press
- Mohamud Ahmed Barre, appointed honorary member, house of Guurti.
- Col. Olow, Counter-terrorism unit, Awdal region.
- Ahmed Omer Dahir, Surveyor, Hargeysa local government.
- Musse Adan Jama, Auditor general office.

Members of Reer Nuur in government employment who receive special protection

- Harun, Foreign Exchange Unit, Berbera port.
- Mohamed Dahir, Finance police, Berbera port.
- Ahmed Daud, Director General of the ministry of Finance.
- Abdi Musa, manager of Customs, Hargeysa Airport
- Mustafa Essa, Land revenues, Hargeysa Office.
- Mohamed A. Bade, Customs officer.
- Abdillahi Hassan, Customs officer.
- Yusuf Ga'an, Somaliland Bank officer head of government voucher payments dept

Haatuf 1290 edition (December 19, 2006)

Properties, undeveloped real estate, vehicles and farm illicitly acquired by Mr. Rayale and his wife:

- President Rayale's new house villa in BBorama
- Prime real estate property in Hargeysa under construction owned by the wife of the president
- Walled property belonging to the presiddent's wife in Borama.
- The foundation surrounding (10 plots 800x80 feets) Land belonging to the sister of the president's wife in Masalaha area of Hargeysa
- As vice-president, Rayale built himselff a house villa in his home town of Borama.
- The first lady Huda Barkhad bought two pieces of land located each behind Maansoor hotel in the northern part of Hargeysa city and near Ambassador Hotel to the south. Each is estimated to cost over $10,000. The plot behind Maansoor hotel was purchased through [the well-known] real estate dealer, Aga weyne. But as shown by Hargeysa municipality documents, the title deed for the plot situated near the Ambassador was issued in the name of Sa'ado Barkhad, a sister of the first lady.
- The Barkhad family farm on the 300 meteers of land taken by the first lady, which belonged to Awdal university
- The community well built by SCF/USA forr farming community in Borama is now the private property of the Barkhad family and is used solely to water the Barkhad farm

- A farm located to the east of Amoud Uniiversity and owned by the Barkhad family was extended for 300 meters into the perimeters of the campus illegally by the first lady [Huda Barkhad].

- A dispute arose between the first lady and Amoud over the misappropriation of the university land. She however employed the power of the state to coerce the university into succumbing.

- She also misappropriated a community waater well located to the east of Amoud university. The well was built with funds donated by SCF-USA. The first lady had rebuilt her late father's old 3-bedroom house in Borama into a villa. The external perimeters of the old house had been extended by 10m, thereby blocking a road passage that has been essential for commuting to and from the town's livestock market.

- The Barkhad family old residence in Borrama and the added extended courtyard which has completely closed all traffic from this road to the livestock market. The arrow and white markings illustrate the width and depth of what's left of the road

- As evidenced by local government's docuuments, the first lady bought two large plots near Fouad Arab's automobile repairing workshop.

- Miscellaneous aid material intended forr widowed mothers has been diverted by the first lady. The material which was brought by [expatriate] Ahmed Kooj has been stored by her in the building owned by Haji Nuur and located behind the southern fence of the presidency. The material was originally delivered to the presidency for distribution to the target group members.

- President Rayale bought a two-storey viilla in Cairo, Egypt. The building is located in a neighborhood which is residence for many of the families of former senior officers in the now-defunct Siyad Barre's regime. [Mohamed] Omer Jees [former Barre minister] is a neighbor.

- The Cairo villa is inhabited by some off the president's children who include Barkhad [son], Warsan [daughter], Mohamed-Amin [son], and a nanny called Umal-khayr Qawrah. The three children were taken to Cairo on June 2005 to study there. An elder son, Abdirizak, is currently in England where he attends college.

- The president's wife has illicitly acquuired vehicles that belonged to the government of Somaliland.

The vehicles include: - A 4WD pickup donated to the government by the NGO SCF-USA [shortly] before closing down operations in Somaliland [in 2005]. While still under SCF use, the vehicle carried plate number 015. The pickup has now been issued a new private plate number which reads SL 20621 and a new traffic document whose serial number is 022701. The traffic registration document shows the owner of the vehicle as Ilhan Barkhad, sister of first lady Huda Barkhad.
- Two Toyota Prado vehicles which were ammong five donated by the UK government to Somaliland's Counter-terrorism police were misappropriated by Huda Barkhad. One of the two vehicles has been registered with the traffic in the name of Ilhan Barkhad under serial Nr. 023776 and plate number SL 21696. The other Prado which has been given the plate number 21698 is used by the first lady herself.
- The pick-up donated by SCF-USA to the ggovernment with private vehicle plate number registered under the first lady's sister . One of the five Prado vehicles donated by the UK government is seen here with private plate number registered under the first lady . The Toyota Mark II, The presidency minibus

Haatuf 1302 edition (January 02, 2007)

- A Toyota Mark II Saloon which belonged to the presidency was sold by the president's wife to the ministry of Public Works. Before being purchased by the ministry, the car had government plate number GT 220. Now it has a private plate number SL 19856 and a traffic registration document number 021906 in the name of Ismail Mussa Haybe, a relative of Public Works minister Saeed Sulub. The original color of the car has since been changed from silver to grey.

According to sources in the presidency and the ministry of Finance the proceeds of the sale were given to the first lady in cash. The vehicle is currently used by Saeed Sulub's family.

- A mini bus was purchased by the presideency in 2004 for the transportation of subordinate staff at a cost of $7,500 and against a market rate of $4,500. However our investigations reveal that the mini bus which bore a private plate number SL: 12634 was purchased in Borama from one of the first lady's close relatives."

On 12/12/2006, the presidency issued a press release signed by Rayale's spokesman, Abdi Idiris in response to the corruption allegations published by Haatuf. The statement began to say:

"There is no government house or vehicle given away by the president .. Nor there is a fishing zone that has been designated for the sole use of a particular company."

The rest of the statement consisted of general term denials. "Nobody has permission from the president to practice nepotism .. The president doesn't condone nepotism."

But the statement did say that since becoming president, Rayale appointed not a single Awdalian to a senior post within the presidency. It did concede however that as vice-president of Egal, Rayale did recommend some Awdalians to the presidential staff.

Haatuf published the whole statement on the front page of its 13/12/2006 edition .

On January 4, 2007, Abshir Hassan Hashi, former chief of motor transport unit at the Somaliland presidency and ex-confident of the first lady Huda Barkhad, talked to the press by saying that all the corruption allegations published by Haatuf were true. He disclosed this at a press conference in Bar Haraf Restaurant in Hargeysa. All the Hargeysa based newspapers and the TV broadcasters were present except the state owned `Maandeeq' newspaper and Somaliland National TV.

Hashi said he resigned from his job on March 24, 2006 after what seemed to be a fallout with the first lady Huda Barkhad. Hashi, who had been working for the Rayale family long before Dahir Rayale became Somaliland's vice-president, said he was witness to a lot of corruption incidents during his days at the presidency.

He revealed that he executed financial transactions involving purchase of vehicles and real estate. He also confirmed that the first lady illicitly acquired public funds for the purchase of plots in Borama and Hargeysa and that he concluded these real estate deals on behalf of the presidency. He showed reporters a lot of documents to substantiate his revelations.

"These are the files of the real estate procurements. This one is for the plot at the Masalaha [near the Ambassador hotel]. It is registered in the name of her sister. We had purchased it from a woman called Shuun Limaan through 2 real estate brokers named Abdi Dheere and Abdi Laangadhe," said Abshir Hashi confirming that the first lady bought a piece of land for her sister Sa'ado Barkhad from tax payers money.

Abshir Hashi also confirmed the sale of the Mark II Saloon by the first lady to the minister of Public Works. "Imagine a government entity selling government-owned car to another government department," he said.

"The minister Saeed Sulub paid for the car from SRA (Somaliland Road Authority) funds and I received the money [on behalf of the first lady]".

Mr. Hashi also identified the first lady's mother, Khadija Yusuf Tub-haye as the person from which the presidency had purchased the mini bus bearing plate number GT 508. He disclosed that the amount paid for the mini-bus was actually $9,000 and not $7,500 as reported by Haatuf. He also estimated the market price of the mini-bus at the time at $4,000 or $5,00 less than quoted by Haatuf.

Hashi also confirmed that the first lady grabbed land belonging to Amoud University for the sake of extending her father's old farm.

"The Barkhad's farm now consists of two parts: the original farm which has been located down the valley and a new extension that resulted from encroachment on the elevated land belonging to the Amoud University in Borama."

Abshir Hashi said the Barkhads farm has been illicitly extended for 400 meters and not 300 meters as reported by Haatuf.

He also disclosed that the president's Cairo home cost $250,000 (Two hundred fifty thousand dollars).

Abshir Hassan said that he would testify in a court of law about the corruption exposed by Haatuf if guaranteed a fair dispensation of justice.

"It's regrettable that while Bill Clinton admitted his extra-marital relationship with Monica Lewinsky, president Rayale is unable to come forward to confess that he actually bought a house in Cairo" he said while commenting on the arrest of Haatuf Journalists, Yusuf Abdi Gabobe and Ali Abdi Dini.

"I don't know [Yusuf] Abdi Gabobe personally and never met or had contact with him. But I have been amazed by Haatuf's ability to expose some of the corruption happening at the presidency. Their story was so real that I thought that they might have stolen my documents. Of course they didn't. I couldn't keep silent after the journalists were arrested for telling the truth. It is just not fair," he concluded. Source: Haatuf Daily News (Somali lang.)