Former Sudan Minister and collaborators acquitted of terrorism charges

The Khartoum Criminal Court has acquitted former head of Sudan’s disbanded National Congress Party (lead by ousted dictator Omar Al Bashir) and former Foreign Affairs Minister Ibrahim Ghandour, alongside 12 others, of charges of inciting war against the state yesterday.

The court, headed by Judge Ali Osman, acquitted and immediately released the defendants after the witness retracted his statement. Due to alleged witness intimidation, Imad El Hawati, decided not to provide his testimony before the court against Ghandour and his co-conspirators. When Hawati was asked why he retracted his testimony, he told the court “he was threatened”.

The Public Prosecution accused Ghandour and the co-conspirators of planning to assassinate leaders in the transitional government, bombing the Legislative Council and other government headquarters, as well as planning a military coup on 30 June 2022.

The prosecution originally charged the 13 defendants under Article 51 of the 1991 Criminal Act, on inciting war against the state. The defendants were also charged for money laundering and financing terrorism.