The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced eight defendants, including Sudanese military and security officials, to life imprisonment in a case involving the illicit trafficking of weapons, ammunition and military equipment for the Sudanese Army, as well as money laundering through commercial companies and bank accounts in the UAE.
Those sentenced to life imprisonment include Salah Abdullah Mohammed Mohammed Saleh, known as Salah Gosh; Yasser Abdulrahman Al Atta; Othman Al Zubair; Rashid Omar Abdul Qadir Ali; Ahmed Abdullah, known as Abdullah Khalafallah; Ahmed Rabie' Sayed Ahmed; Mohammed Fath Al Beik; and Maher Abdul Jalil.
The court also ordered the confiscation of seized items and the deportation of those convicted after serving their sentences.
Seven defendants were also sentenced to three years in prison for money laundering offenses, with those subject to fines ordered to pay AED1 million ($272,000) each. The court also ordered the confiscation of AED1.545 million ($421,000).
Six companies were fined AED1 million each, their licenses were revoked, and funds linked to the offenses were confiscated. Two other defendants were acquitted.
The grounds of the judgment revealed that the defendants had arranged two deals to supply weapons, ammunition and military equipment to the Sudanese Army without the required licenses.
The deals involved bringing Goryunov-type ammunition into the UAE in preparation for its transportation by air to Port Sudan, with shipping documents falsely declaring the cargo as medical equipment and supplies.
The court said payments for the military equipment were made through bank transfers and cash transactions, including AED8 million ($2.18 million) that Rashid Omar received from Maher Abdul Jalil as part of the payment for one of the deals.
According to the judgment, Yasser Al Atta, Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, requested the purchase of weapons and arranged for the aircraft to land in Port Sudan.
Othman Al Zubair, the Sudanese Army's financial official, oversaw payments to suppliers.
The court also established that Salah Gosh and several intermediaries played roles in coordinating the deals and collecting commissions.
The court concluded that the defendants had used companies, bank accounts and forged documents to channel funds associated with the arms deals and conceal their sources and destinations.
It found that the use of UAE territory and its financial system for these activities during the armed conflict in Sudan could harm the country's international relations and endanger its interests.
UAE Attorney-General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi had ordered the defendants to be referred to trial following investigations that uncovered an organized network engaged in illicit arms trafficking and money laundering linked to weapons deals.
