The former president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, has confessed to a court that he received $25 million from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Judge Al-Sadiq Abdelrahman told at the third session of Bashir’s trial that funds from abroad of multiple currencies were discovered at his home.
Authorities had confiscated €6.9 million, $351,770 and 5.7 million Sudanese pounds at home which he acquired and used illegally the judge said.
Asked about the source, Bashir, 75, admitted to receiving money from Saudi royals.
“My office manager… received a call from the office of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman saying he has a ‘message’ that will be sent on a private jet,” Bashir admitted during the trial.
“We were informed that the crown ruler did not need his name to show up (connected to the exchange), and if the assets were stored with Sudan’s bank or the account service, the source would need to be distinguished,” he included.
The judge said any illegal acquisition of assets was punishable by up to 10 years in jail, while wrong use of foreign funds carried up to three years.
An investigator had earlier told the court that Bashir got $90 million in cash from Saudi royals.
The trial was adjourned until September 7, said an AFP correspondent who was present for the session.
Bashir was ousted in April after wide-ranged protests against his three-decade rule caused havoc in Sudan for months.
Sudan has undergone a transition to civilian rule after a power-sharing deal signed on August 17 by protest leaders and the generals who ousted Bashir.
Occupying a seat in a metal cage in the court in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, al-Bashir said: “My office manager … received a call from the office of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed receptacle Salman saying he has a ‘message’ that will be sent on a personal jet.
“We were informed that the crown ruler did not need his name to show up [linked to the transaction] … also, if the assets were saved with Sudan’s bank or the account service, the source would need to be recognized,” he included.
