Ethiopia : The Corruption charge game ; who is not corrupt?

Is fighting against corruption being used as a political tool?

borkena, Ethiopian News
July 26,2017

This week, the government announced that it arrested more than 30 senior government officials in connection with corruption.

Federal and Addis Ababa Roads Authority, Sugar Corporation and ministry of finance and economic cooperation are among government organizations from which officials were arrested on alleged corruption charges.

As well, “brokers” and business people are also arrested according to pro-government news sources.

Communication Minister, Negeri Lencho (Dr.), gave press statement regarding the arrest. He claims that government was closely following up officials who squandered public funds that are meant to be for development purpose.

He added that a task force drawn from Federal Prosecutor and Federal police was handling the matter and following up the officials.

The reactions

Many Ethiopian pundits and opinion leaders are skeptical, as usual, about the arrest and rather seem to take it as a strategy to carry out purger project that is possibly deemed to be relevant to weaken resistance to TPLF unregulated power within the ruling coalition, EPRDF.

Activists, for example, point to Abaye Tsehaye – key TPLF Politburo member who has been head of Ethiopian Sugar Corporation for a long time. There has been repeated corruption report in the organization.

Huge borrowed money is also invested in infrastructure development including road construction and development of industrial parks and most local contractors are known to be TPLF affiliated companies based in Tigray or the capital Addis Ababa.

No names are disclosed so far but the speculation is that no senior TPLF members are in the list of people who are arrested.

Government, through the communication minister, expressed intent to take “the fight against corruption” to regional state levels and that is where it is expected to serve as a powerful sword for TPLF to deal with dissidents from within who are boldly showing resistance to TPLF power.

Opposition to TPLF is especially stronger from ANDM (Amara National Democratic Movement) and OPDO (Oromo People’s Democratic Organization) – both in essence creations of TPLF immediately before and after coming to power in 1991.




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