PM overrules Foreign Affairs, suspends Daud over graft allegations

Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Mukhtar Daud becomes senior most official in PM Khaire’s administration to step down over graft claims. Photo: courtesy

Barely three days after Foreign Affairs Ministry rubbished graft allegations by the Auditor General, Prime Minister Hassan Khaire has suspended the ministry’s assistant minister Mukhtar Daud.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s office noted the PM had asked the embattled assistant minister to step down to pave way for investigations.

“Having analysed the proposal of the Auditor General, he (PM) arrived at the decision that Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suspended from his job, starting today, on 9 August 2018,” the statement read in part.

The development follows the attempted arrest of Daud by detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department Sunday. Addressing journalists on the same day, Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Awad said the matter ‘had been resolved’ and that the arrest did not happen.

WATER TIGHT CASE

But in a joint media conference same day, both the Attorney General Ahmed Dahir and Auditor General Mohamed Ali affirmed they had a water tight case against the assistant minister. “This matter was forwarded from the Office of the Auditor General. The evidence is very clear and the Prosecutor has filed a case at Banaadir Regional Court,” Dahir said.

But in a quick rejoinder the day after, Foreign Affairs issued a hard hitting statement rebuking both the Auditor General, Attorney General and police over the graft allegations and ‘forceful entry into the ministry’s premises.

In the statement, the Ministry also denied accusations of corruption in the ministry and went on to accuse the AG and the Auditor General of ‘breaching protocol intra-governmental relations’.

“The Ministry is denying all graft allegations which the Auditor General and Director of Public Prosecutions have transmitted through the media as baseless,” the statement read in part.

Daud becomes the first senior most government official to step down over graft allegations since the current administration came to office early 2017.