By Ebi Kesiena
An Ethiopian clergyman, Belay Mekonnen, has been sentenced to five years in prison and fined 10,000 Ethiopian birr for his role in an attempted fraud targeting the African Union (AU).
On Thursday, the Federal High Court Lideta Branch in Addis Ababa delivered the verdict, also sentencing two other defendants, Eyasu Endale and Bereket Mulatu, to three years and three months in prison, each with a 3,000 birr fine.
The court found the senior clergyman and four others guilty of attempting to withdraw over $6 million from an AU account at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.
According to the African Union, a series of fraudulent payment transfer orders had been submitted at its headquarters in Addis Ababa by an individual unaffiliated with the organisation. The funds were falsely claimed to be for construction and water drilling projects.
During the hearing, the court ruled that the defendants had engaged in a coordinated and organised criminal act.
At the time of his arrest, Mekonnen was serving as Deputy General Manager at the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) Patriarchate. He was accused of orchestrating the fraudulent scheme alongside others.
