Six people, including members of the Ministry of National Defence (MoND) and the Federal Police Commission, who were charged by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission for kidnapping and extortion, have been sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment and 2,000Br each in penalty fees.
 

On November 17, 2006, the Federal High Court ruled against Captain Zenabu Aideuer, officer of the Intelligence Main Department at the Ministry; Corporal Tibebu Kassa, head of the Transport Department at Armed Forces Hospital; and Corporal Kendia Hadish, a driver at the Ministry’s Head Training Unit.
 

From the Police Commission, it ruled against Deputy Inspector Wubetu Assemahegn, from the Anti-Terrorism Brigade, as well as Sergeant Alem Abraha, who works under the Operation and Preparation Department in Anti-Terrorism.
 

The three civilians receiving sentences were Tilahun Mulugeta, Fitsum GebreEgiziabher and Shawol Aychiluhem.
 

The charges against these individuals were first presented by the Commission’s Prosecutor three years ago. It accused them of having stopped businessman, Kebede Baysa, on May 12, 2006, when he was on the way to work from his home, in Gerji area, by blocking his chauffeur driven car.
 

They then took him to the Army Officers Club and eventually to the Ministry of National Defence where they kept him hostage for half a day during which time they threatened him incessantly.

According to the charges, the suspects were threatening to expose his Oromo Liberation Font (OLF) affiliations, and told him that they knew that he was financially supporting the Front in committing terrorist acts within the capital.
 

They then told Kebede that he deserved to die for the actions he committed, but that they would reconsider executing him if he paid them three million Birr, the prosecution stated in its indictment.
 

The charges explain how Kebede said that he did not have the kind of money they were demanding at hand, hence he would offer them what he had in the bank in exchange for his freedom. The suspects escorted him to Awash Iternational Bank where he withdrew 300,000 Br from his account and handed it to them. They then let him go.
 

“As if this was not enough, the suspects made an agreement to make their way to his home on August 7, 2003 to receive the remainder of the money they had demanded and caused the victim and his family much psychological stress,” the Commission stated.
 

Nevertheless, the plan did not work out and two of the accused were placed under arrest as they were entering the victim’s home to make a money pick-up. The rest were caught after being tracked down by the police.
 

Even though the prosecution fingered Zinabu Aideuer as the plot leader, he tried to prove that he was not present at the scene of the crime by bringing forth witnesses that could substantiate his statement.
 

“I was taking my children to school and my wife to work at the time the crime was supposed to have taken place,” he said bringing forth his wife to testify for him.
 

Although the other accused also held that they were at different locations when the crime went down, their defence case was ignored and rejected based on the evidence presented against them.

A week before the Federal High Court sentencing, it had decided that the accused were guilty of the charges. It asked both the prosecution and defence to present their sentencing arguments. The Commission argued that all the accused abused the power that was entrusted them. As a result, it asked the Court to give them the maximum punishment.
 

Nevertheless, because most of the soldiers had played an important role in overthrowing the Derg Regime, the defence asked the Court to lighten their sentence. The others appealed to the Court on the basis that they had families to support and that this was their first time committing a crime.

In the end, the Federal Court decided on the 14-year sentence as well as taking away their citizen rights for five years. In accordance to this, upon their release, all eight will be unable to offer power of attorney or receive it; they will not be able to serve as guarantor, and all parties will not be able to vote or take part of any type of electoral process for one year.