UAE stops illegal transfer of weapons to Sudanese Armed Forces
The UAE security services have foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces through an airport in the country.
Members of the cell involved in the illegal arms deal were arrested during an inspection of a private jet that had landed at one of the country's airports for refuelling, the UAE's Attorney-General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi confirmed on Wednesday.
The plane was carrying approximately five million rounds of 7.54 x 62 mm Goryunov-type ammunition.
Authorities also seized copies of the contracts related to the deals, forged shipping documents, as well as audio recordings and messages exchanged among the cell members.
Al Shamsi said the investigation revealed the involvement of members of the cell with senior Sudanese military figures, including former intelligence Chief Salah Gosh and a political figure close to General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, along with several Sudanese businessmen.
The Public Prosecution is continuing its investigation and working to carry out "urgent trial proceedings" of the suspects.
The investigation uncovered several companies owned by a Sudanese-Ukrainian businessman, including one operating in the UAE. These companies were found to have provided the Sudanese army with weapons, ammunition, grenades, and drones, in collaboration with the cell members and the military's financial officer. One of the companies is listed under US sanctions.
The arms were transferred from the Sudanese army to an importing company in the UAE using the "HAWALADARS" transfer method, investigators revealed for deal involving Kalashnikov rifles, ammunition, machine guns, and grenades worth millions of dollars.
The transaction was facilitated through a company owned by a fugitive cell member working for the Sudanese Armed Forces, in coordination with Colonel Othman Al-Zubair, who is in charge of financial operations in the Sudanese military. Fake contracts and commercial invoices were used to falsely claim the payments were for a sugar import deal.
The investigation concluded that these deals were carried out at the request of the Sudanese Armed Forces' Armament Committee, chaired by Al-Burhan and his deputy Al-Atta, with their full knowledge and approval.
The cell members were directly assigned to broker and finalise the transactions by Ahmed Rabie Ahmed Al-Sayed, a political figure close to the Sudanese Commander-in-Chief and responsible for issuing end-user certificates and approvals.
The group earned $2.6 million in profit margin above the actual value of the two deals, which was distributed among themselves and several accomplices. Gosh's share was found in the possession of suspect Khalid Youssef Mukhtar Youssef, a former intelligence officer and Gosh's ex-chief of staff.
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