The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal has sentenced eight defendants, including Sudanese military and security officials, to life imprisonment in a case involving the illegal trafficking of weapons, ammunition and military equipment intended for the Sudanese army, as well as money laundering through commercial companies and bank accounts in the UAE.
The sentences included Salah Abdullah Mohamed Saleh, widely known as Salah Ghosh, Yasser Abdelrahman Al-Atta, and Othman Al-Zubair, alongside Rashid Omar Abdelqader Ali, Ahmed Abdullah, known as “Abdullah Khalaf Allah”, Ahmed Rabie Sayed Ahmed, Mohamed Fath Al-Beik, and Maher Abdeljalil. The court also ordered the confiscation of seized items and the deportation of those convicted from the UAE after serving their sentences.
The court further sentenced seven defendants to three years in prison for money laundering offences and imposed fines of AED 1 million (US$272,000) on each person covered by the fine ruling. It also ordered the confiscation of AED 1.545 million (US$421,000).
The rulings also included fines of AED 1 million against each of six companies, the cancellation of their licences, and the confiscation of funds linked to the offences. Meanwhile, the court acquitted other defendants.
The court’s detailed judgment revealed that two deals had been carried out to supply weapons, ammunition and military equipment to the Sudanese army without the required licences. The deals included the shipment of DShK-type ammunition, referred to as “Giranov”, into the UAE in preparation for its transportation by air to Port Sudan, after shipping documents were submitted describing the cargo as medical supplies.
The court explained that payments for the military equipment were made through bank transfers and cash transactions. These included AED 8 million (US$2.18 million), which Rashid Omar received from Maher Abdeljalil as part of the value of one of the deals.
According to the judgment, Yasser Al-Atta, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, was responsible for requesting the purchase of weapons and arranging procedures for the aircraft’s landing in Port Sudan. Meanwhile, Othman Al-Zubair, the Sudanese army’s financial official, supervised the payment of suppliers’ dues. The court also identified roles played by Salah Ghosh and several intermediaries in coordinating the deals and collecting commissions.
The court concluded that the defendants had used companies, bank accounts and forged documents to channel funds from the arms deals and conceal their sources and destinations. It considered that exploiting UAE territory and its financial system for such activities during the armed conflict in Sudan could damage the country’s international relations and expose its interests to risk.
