Meles had ordered the confiscation of Ethiopian Community in Saudi and building of Embassy

ESAT News  November 22, 2013

 Reliable sources told ESAT that the former Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had ordered the confiscation of the resources of the Ethiopian Community Association in Saudi Arabia that was saved for the building of a school and other purposes. The finance was used for the building of the Ethiopian Embassy in Riyadh, the Ambassador’s residence and a Consular Office in Jeddah.

The Community at the time had saved 50 million Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR) or $13.5 million. Fearing that the Saudi administration might interfere with the money, the heads of the Community had agreed with the previous Ethiopian government officials to keep it in the Bank account of the Ethiopian Embassy and move it when necessary. The account had been managed by the signatures of the Chairman of the Community and the Councillor General in Jeddah.

As soon as the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) government took power, it showed an interest of using the money and started to appease the leaders of the Community Association by proposing them benefits. The government promised to give them land in Addis Abeba to build their own houses. However, the Community leaders refused the offers saying that the money belonged to the people and was for building school thus would not allow the government to use the money.

 The late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who got later involved in the issue, had promised them saying “even if there was no land, I would break Meskel Square into pieces and give it to you”. Learning the unwavering position of the Community leaders, Meles had given a direct order for the money to be used for construction purposes.

 Erku Geda, the then Chairman of the Community had attempted to take the case to Court; soon enough, the Embassy got him replaced by a pro EPRDF Chairman. Despaired by the developments, some of the Community members had then come to Addis Abeba and beseeched for land which they were not given.

 Some observers say if the government had not used the money; it would have been employed to rehabilitate the thousands of Ethiopians repatriated from Saudi Arabia.

 Although ESAT phoned Dina Mufti, the PR Head of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), on his handset to get his responses on the issues, he rebuffed saying that he was in a meeting.

 Insiders said to ESAT that the government had also exploited the finances of the Ethiopian Communities of other Gulf countries for the Construction.

 The Ethiopian Community Association in Saudi Arabia has been one of the strongest Ethiopian communities outside Ethiopia.