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The Federal High Court has acquitted Haregewoin
Teferi (Herry), a prominent businesswoman who owns
Cigar Lounge, from the charge pressed against her as
an accomplice in a money extortion scam. Judge
Dereje Eticha dropped all the charges against the
defendant on April 1, 2008 following a litigation
that took close to 17 months.
Anteneh Tamiru and Genet Molla charged Herry in
January 2007 for allegedly conspiring with Kiflu
Gebremedhin, a.k.a Mulugeta, in a two million Birr
swindle. Returnees from the United States, the two
lost their money while each trying to acquire a
2,000sqm plot of land free of lease on Africa Avenue
(Bole Road), an open space in front of London Café.
Herry was arrested on November 21, 2007. After being
in custody for seven days, she was released on
November 28, against a 10,000 Birr bail.
She was suspected of deliberately introducing Kiflu,
who claimed that he was the representative of Office
of the Prime Minister who takes care of land issues,
to the two plaintiffs. Moreover, two million Birr
was withdrawn from the victim’s respective account
with the United Bank and deposited in Herry’s
account at the Wegagen Bank, Main Branch inside
Dembel City Center. Kiflu, who identified himself
using six different names, insisted that the
Cashier’s Payment Order (CPO) should only be
submitted to the City Administration from Wegagen
Bank, promising to help the plaintiff’s acquire the
said plots.
After Herry was introduced to Kiflu by Yusuf Ibrahim
(Jossy), an acquaintance whom she met through a
friend of hers, Eshetu Gebremariam, she introduced
Kiflu to Genet and Anteneh.
According to Herry, from the time she was introduced
to Kiflu, she had believed that he was indeed an
official of the Office of the Prime Minister. Like
both Anteneh and Genet, Herry also lived in the US
for close to 20 years and came back to Addis Abeba
six years ago. All three claimed that the suspect
had told them that the Ethiopian government gives
priority in granting land to those Ethiopians that
had returned to the country in order to invest in
it.
The suspect told them that once the government
confirmed that none of them had previously been
given land, they would be eligible to apply for a
plot. They all stated that the suspect had taken
from them photocopies of their investment permits
and green cards, as well as their bank transaction
documents for a period of three months.
The suspect subsequently told them that the Office
of the Prime Minister had verified that they had not
received land, and that it had instructed the Addis
Abeba City Administration to arrange plot of land in
two sites. They were made to visit two locations,
escorted by Jossy - on Africa and Haile
Gebreselassie Avenues. They all chose the first.
The suspect then informed them, through Jossy, that
they needed one CPO of two million Birr issued from
Wegagen Bank but payable to a private company,
Zalack Plc., a company is owned by Kiflu and Berhe
Gebremedhin.
Both Genet and Anteneh had no accounts with Wegagen;
Herry eventually suggested they use her account with
Wegagen. They deposited the money on November 16,
followed by the issuance of the CPO on the same day.
The three were told to bring the original copies
they had given Kiflu through Jossy. So they made
their way to the municipality in Piazza to meet
Kiflu, their fifth and last encounter. The four
other meetings had taken place in Ghion, Queen of
Sheba, Marriott and Meridian Hotels.
In Herry’s car parked inside the municipality, Kiflu
tricked the plaintiffs by swapping the CPO envelope
with another one, read the charge.
The plaintiffs claimed that they had also been
promised TV coverage when they handed over the CPO
to the Mayor, who would then give them the title
deeds to the land in exchange. Kiflu had walked them
to an office and told them to wait by the door while
he went inside. As he took a long time to fetch
them, they called him to ask about the delay. He
told them that the Mayor was too busy to see them,
as there were cases pending that had been submitted
ahead of theirs.
On November 20, three days later, they dialed his
number only to realize that his phone had been
switched off. Anteneh and Genet got suspicious and
opened the envelope that he had returned to them and
found out that there were pieces of scrap paper
inside the envelope instead of the CPO.
That evening, they called Herry to inform her of
what had happened. The next day, the three went to
the Bank only to find that the entire two million
Birr had been wired to Zalack Plc’s account at Beklo
Bet Branch of the same bank. Bank sources had told
Fortune back then that the fund had been
withdrawn on November 19 in three different
transactions.
They immediately went to the Addis Abeba Police
Commission to file their complaints. The police
officer, who took their statements, felt that
Herry’s involvement in the case was suspicious and
arrested her on the spot. She was subsequently
released on bail after being held in custody for
seven days.
Genet and Anteneh in January 2007 officially laid
charges against Kiflu, Zalack Plc, Jossy as well as
Herry.
After months of litigation, the court has finally
acquitted Herry, the first defendant, from the
charge, giving her the right to ask for
compensation, while still holding the others accused
guilty.
“All I have to say is ‘God forgive them’,” Herry
told Fortune, thrilled with the verdict.
“Thank God justice has finally been served.”
Giving tribute to the court for its swift ruling,
her lawyer, Million Assefa – the same lawyer dealing
with Teddy Afro’s case – is not as complacent. He
told Fortune that he would pursue the case
and seek compensation.
The court sentenced the three other defendants to
pay the extorted two million Birr, with nine per
cent interest calculated from the date the charge
was filed. However, Fortune learnt that none
of the defendants were in the country.
The plaintiffs, Genet and Anteneh, have also been
given the right to ask for compensation of the
expenses they incurred as a result of the scam. They
have not decided yet, however, whether or not to
place an appeal to the Supreme Court.
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