Friday January 7, 2022
Mogadishu (HOL) - The Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mohamed Hussein Roble, apologized on Friday for the seizure of nine million dollars from the United Arab Emirates in April 2018 at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu.
In a statement posted to his Twitter account, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble promised the UAE government that the money would be returned to the UAE government as soon as possible.
"Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has formally apologized to the United Arab Emirates for the incident of seizing the Emirati plane in Mogadishu in April 2018, which was carrying financial aid to the Somali government and pledged his country to return the seized money to the UAE as soon as possible.”
A security official at Mogadishu Airport said at the time that they seized three suitcases containing $9.6 million from a Royal Jet-operated Boeing 737/700.
Roble’s remarks come as the UAE donated 26 tons of food aid to Somalia, which was presented by Somalia's Minister of Relief and Disaster Management Khadija Mohamed Diriye.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pledged to help Somalia after a devastating drought that has hit most parts of the country.
The Prime Minister thanked the UAE Government for its assistance and said it was committed to strengthening the long-standing ties between the Governments of Somalia and the United Arab Emirates.