Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 10, 2008 (SL Times) – Abshir Hassan Hashi, the former presidential palace head of transport and onetime chauffeur of Somaliland’s first lady Hudda Barkhad is still behind bars following his arrest in Hargeysa by the police on May 1, 2008.

According to Somaliland police commissioner Saqadh Dubad, Mr. Hashi was arrested for defaming the president and making false statements about him.

In an interview with the BBC’s Somali Service, Saqadhi said that the police have been seeking his apprehension since a long time.

However Saqadhi later retracted this statement by saying that the arrest of Abshir Hassan Hashi who is a KULMIYE activist now, was not politically motivated.

Saqadhi also denied that Abshir was detained for corroborating the reports published by Haatuf newspaper in 2006/2007 about corruption and embezzlement of public funds by the president’s family.

Meanwhile Abshir’s sub-clan leaders called for his immediate and unconditional release.

In a statement issued on Thursday the sub-clan leaders accused the police of beating Abshir during his arrest and afterwards.

KULMIYE had also condemned the arrest and the maltreatment of the detainee, demanding that he is either released or taken to court. Abshir has not yet been officially charged.

Abshir has been in hiding ever since telling a press conference on January 4, 2007 that as a former insider he was able to confirm that Haatuf’s story on the corruption allegations involving the first lady were true.

Source: Somaliland Times

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