UAE puts 19 Sudanese on trial in Abu Dhabi over $13m arms trafficking scheme

Abu Dhabi's Federal Court of Appeal is to hear charges against 19 defendants, including former Sudanese intel chief Salah Gosh, over illegal arms smuggling.

UAE prosecutes 19 over Sudanese arms smuggling plot, including former spy chief

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi has referred 19 defendants to the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal (State Security Division) on charges of illegal arms trafficking, forgery, and money laundering, yemenonline.info reports.

The defendants include six companies registered in the UAE. Among those implicated is Salah Abdullah Mohamed Saleh — better known as Salah Gosh — the former director of Sudanese general intelligence.

Investigations revealed an attempt to smuggle a consignment of ammunition through UAE territory to the Port Sudan Authority, in breach of national laws. The case was linked to arms deals initiated by Port Sudan's armament committee, headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Yasser al-Atta, with coordination attributed to Osman Mohamed al-Zubair Mohamed.

Authorities uncovered two interconnected deals involving Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, grenades, and additional ammunition. The shipments were invoiced at $13 million but had an actual value of $10 million, with the $3 million difference allocated as illegal commissions.

Investigators traced financial flows, intercepted the shipments before they reached Sudan, and secured evidence including financial records, official correspondence, confessions, and documented communications among the accused.

The UAE Public Prosecution stated that the country will not tolerate any attempt to exploit its territory, institutions, or financial system for unlawful purposes, describing national sovereignty and security as a red line.

Source: Google News UAE — Courts & Fraud