Ethiopia’s Federal Court on Friday ruled out seven years and two months prison terms against Taye Dendea, former state minister over possessing an unlicensed gun.
Last week the court cleared him of three charges but pronounced a guilty verdict on one.
Dendea, a former Minister of Peace, was found “guilty” of being in possession of what was described as an unlicensed firearm – AK 47 rifle with 60 rounds of ammunition, the court said.
Abera Nigus, his lawyer, said only two of the five listed defense witnesses had been heard.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Adanech Abiebie, Addis Ababa city Mayor and Chaltu Sani, Minister of Infrastructure and Urban Development were not summoned despite being listed as witnesses for the defense.
Nigus argued that failure to hear these witnesses deprived him of the constitutional right to fully defend his client who will take his appeal to the Supreme Court.
Dendea said that he had approached Deputy Commissioner of the Federal Police to make arrangements for the acquisition of an AK 47, making it clear that he had “security concerns” after bodyguards assigned to him in connection with his federal government position, were removed at the time.
The Deputy Commissioner, at the time, advised Dendea to submit a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister communicating his request.
Dendea later requested the then Minister for Peace, Benalf Andualem who is currently serving as Ethiopia’s ambassador to the US to write the letter on behalf of the Office of the Prime Minister, it was reported.
However, Dendea told the court that the minister advised him to process it verbally without the need to write a letter. After that a verbal agreement was reached for him to arm himself with an AK 47 after which he was provided with one.
MG/as/APA