A senior Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) clergyman, Kesis Belay Mekonnen, has been sentenced to five years in prison and fined 10,000 Birr for attempting to fraudulently withdraw over $6 million from an African Union (AU) account.
The Federal High Court Lideta Branch also sentenced Eyasu Endale and Bereket Mulatu, co-defendants in the case, to three years and three months each, along with a 3,000 Birr fine. The fraudulent scheme involved submitting unauthorized payment transfer orders at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, falsely claiming the funds were allocated for construction and water drilling projects.
Following witness testimonies and evidence review, the court ruled on January 15 that the defendants had engaged in a coordinated financial crime. Authorities emphasized that the act not only violated multiple provisions of the Criminal Code but also risked damaging Ethiopia’s relations with other African nations.
Kesis Belay Mekonnen, who was a deputy general manager at the EOTC Patriarchate at the time, was found to have led the scheme alongside Eyasu Endale, an agricultural investor, and Bereket Mulatu, a commission agent. Two additional suspects, Alemgena Samuel and Abera Merga, have yet to appear in court, leading to a temporary suspension of their cases.
The court ordered that the sentences be served at the Addis Ababa Correctional Facility, factoring in the time already spent in detention.