‘Immunity for Sudanese govt. officials should be abolished’

The former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice, Abdeldaim Zamrawi, has accused Sudanese prosecution offices of covering-up corruption cases.

In a workshop in Khartoum on Sunday, Zamrawi reported that approximately 200 complaints filed against state employees this year are “locked in drawers”. 100 requests to lift the immunity of state officials were not granted.

The current Undersecretary of Justice, Babikir Gashi, commented that the immunity of state employees forms one of the impediments to the execution of criminal law.

The participants of the workshop, including members of the national Parliament, demanded the abolition of the immunity enjoyed by government officials, calling it “a gateway to corruption”. They also condemned the widespread favouritism in political decisions and appointments of employees.

The workshop was organised to discuss a draft bill produced by the national Anti-Corruption Commission.

Former Finance Minister Ali Mahmoud confirmed “systematic corruption among officials using their position to embezzle funds, which is difficult to detect”. He pointed in particular to the exploitation of government tenders for the officials’ own companies and the manipulation of government shares sales.