Khaberni - The Attorney General of the UAE, Counselor Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, ordered the referral of 19 accused, including six companies registered in the state, to the Abu Dhabi Federal Appellate Court (State Security Circuit), based on committing crimes of illegal trafficking in military gear, forgery, and money laundering.
The referral decision followed extensive investigations conducted by the Public Prosecution, which revealed the facts about the defendants' attempt to pass a shipment of ammunition to the Port Sudan Authority through the territory of the United Arab Emirates, in clear violation of the laws and regulations in effect in the state.
The investigations showed that the facts of the case were linked to transactions requested by the Armament Committee in the Port Sudan Authority under the chairmanship of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Yasser al-Atta, and coordinated by Osman Mohamed al-Zubair Mohamed. The scope of the accusation also included figures attributed to roles in directing and coordinating, among them Salah Abdullah Mohamed Saleh (known as Salah Gosh).
The defendants face charges of illegal trafficking in military equipment, forgery of official documents and their use, and laundering the proceeds of these crimes, which constitutes a serious violation of the state's laws and regulations.
The investigations revealed that the defendants executed their plan through two interconnected transactions, characterized by pre-planning and the use of commercial and financial entity fronts to conceal the illicit nature of the operations.
In the first transaction, which was concluded outside the country, an agreement was made to supply military equipment including Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, and bombs, with a declared value of $13 million, while the actual value did not exceed $10 million, where the difference was allocated as illicit commissions agreed to be distributed among the defendants in return for their roles in arranging the transaction and facilitating its procedures, and the payments were passed through licensed companies and bank accounts within the country under the guise of fictitious commercial transactions.
The second transaction was executed inside the country using more than two million dollars from the proceeds of the first transaction, to carry out an urgent supply of an additional ammunition deal (Granov), where the first part of the shipment was fraudulently brought into the country through a private plane, in preparation for its transfer to Port Sudan.
The specialized authorities were able to uncover the threads of the operation and track the path of the money and shipments, causing the scheme to fall apart before its completion, where the defendants were arrested, and the attempt to pass the equipment to its final destination was thwarted.
The investigations also revealed that the scheme was not limited to the seized shipment but extended to smuggling an additional five million Granov bullets through six other transactions prepared by the defendants, and the investigations clarified that thwarting the first shipment prevented the execution of those operations.
The investigations also resulted in compelling evidence, including the seizure and analysis of financial documents and official correspondence, along with tracking bank transfers and cash flows linked to the transactions. The evidence also included confessions from several defendants, as well as recordings and documented conversations among several of them, which clearly revealed the interconnection of roles and their integration in executing the facts of the case.
The Attorney General announced on April 30, 2025, that security forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons and military equipment to the Port Sudan Authority in an illegal manner, arresting members of a cell involved in illegal arms trafficking and money laundering, in an incident that formed the basis for the investigations that concluded with this referral.
In concluding its statement, the Public Prosecution emphasized that the UAE will not tolerate any attempt to exploit its territory, institutions, or financial system in unlawful activities, affirming that the sovereignty and security of the state are red lines, and that the provisions of the law will be strictly applied to anyone proven to be involved, or who disrupts public order, preserving the status of the United Arab Emirates as a state based on the rule of law and solid institutions.
Firstly: Names of the defendants brought to trial:
1 - Rashed Omar Abdul Qader Ali
2- Mohammed Al Fath Mohammed Bey
3- Salah Abdullah Mohamed Saleh (known as Salah Gosh)
4- Abdullah Khalf Allah (known as Ahmed Abdullah)
5- Ahmed Rabie Sayed Ahmed Mohamed
6- Yaser Abdul Rahman Hassan Al Atta
7- Osman Mohamed Al Zubair Mohamed
8- Maher Abdul Jalil Mohamed Abdul Jalil
9- Khaled Yousuf Mukhtar Yousuf
10- Ahmed Khalf Allah Abdullah Ahmed
11 - Mubarak Ali Sheikh Mohamed
12- Osman Baker Ali Karar
13 - Musab Awad Al Karim Hassan Mohamed.
Secondly: Companies brought to trial:
1- Rashed Omar Brokerage Company
2- Portex Trade Limited
3- Wardah Al Maserah Trading Company
4- Sudamina Company
5- Yellow Sand Trading Company
6- Aboulara Electronics Trading Company.
