Saturday, May 28, 2011

TFG Ministers Slam Associated Press Reporting.Finance and Information Ministers Deny AP Allegations of Misuse of Gov't Funds

update on Aid pirates: Somalia fails to account for millions in assistance
Somalia's Finance Minister Hussein Abdi Halane and Minister of Information Abdukarim Jama Halane said the Associated Press reporting of a leaked document that accuses the TFG of mishandling at least $300 million USD is 'irresponsible.'
The funds, according to the yet to be published report, covered the disposition internal revenues and contributions from Arab states. The foreign minister claimed during a Friday press conference in Mogadishu that the report information was unverified and amounted to mere speculation and rumor.
He stated that the current government is more transparent and accountable with regard to the intake and management of government funds and how to spend them. The two ministers further stated that, since they took over their respective offices, there has not been a single arrest for financial corruption.
“The same income that was taken in by the government several years ago and stolen or otherwise misappropriated by former ministers is now (due to the lack of corruption) sufficient to ensure prompt and regular payment of government staff whether they are military or civil servants,” Abdikarim Jama said.
The US-based Associated Press news service reported that Abdirasak Fartaag, head of the Public Finance Management Unit, denied published reports that the government has misused more than $300 million USD, including internal revenues, derived specifically from the port, airport, khat trade, the regional telecommunications industry, and Arab states between 2007 and 2010.

“When you are talking finance you need facts, statics, and documented evidences, which is currently lacking and thus mere speculation. It is regrettable that the Associated Press reported that, of the $300 million missing monies, $70 million USD from foreign assistance is missing.”
Speaking about Fartaag’s Public Finance Management Unit, which is responsible for the government’s overall financial management, Finance Minister Halane said, “There is no watchdog of finance management in the government. The Ministry of Finance is in charge, but we also have oversight from a parliamentary committee, as well as an accountant general. If you are looking for financial records then go to the accountant general or to the Ministry of Finance, as there is no one else who can produce any accurate and untarnished financial information.”

The information minister said that Abdirasak Fartaag used to work in the prime minister’s office, but was dismissed in January 2011. Further, he noted, “This gentleman is neither responsible for finance nor an employee of the current government.”

Both the finance and information ministers clearly stated that the claim in the Associated Press story was influenced by opposition political agendas and people who want to damage the reputation of the government.
“The difficulty that we see is that somebody published these numbers as fact. A lot of people pick it up of this and everybody is wondering where the $70 million is, where the $300 million is. We want to know who took the $70 million and who took the $300 million if indeed these facts are proven to be true,” Jama said.

“We do strongly believe that that is not the case, that these large amounts of money were never received by our government, and this story has damaged the reputation of the government. We take exception to this and find it a case of extremely irresponsible reporting,” he added.

Although the Associated Press reported that Fartaag’s claim was based on interview with politicians who witnessed the payment or received money in Mogadishu, the Somali finance minister said that the author of the report "spoke to none of the people who manage the government’s finances, whether it is the minister of finance or the accountant general."
Finance Minister Halane also denied that he told the Associated Press that he had seen the prime minster personally receive $5 million USD in cash on two separate occasions.
Despite the surprise of the TFG at allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the press conference they offered no direct rebuttals or proof to refute the charges contained in the report. In 2010 Somalia was rated #178, dead last, on Transparency International's scale of perceived corruption.
Editor's Note: Although the TFG attacked the Associated Press for running the story, the information was not gathered by Katharine Houreld of the AP but from a report generated by the Somalia Public Finance Unit. Houreld has broken a number of stories on Somalia and this most recent scoop has been widely syndicated.

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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