• Home
• /
• MENA

Sudan's Bashir appears in public for first time since ouster

Khartoum - He was led to a prosecutor's office in a corruption probe.

Sudan's former President Omar Al Bashir appeared in public for the first time since his ouster two months ago, as he was led to a prosecutor's office Sunday in a corruption investigation.
The deposed president has been held under arrest in the capital, Khartoum, since the military removed him from power in April amid mass protests against his 30-year rule. The military has since been locked in a tense standoff with the protest movement demanding civilian rule, even as it has promised reforms and held on-again, off-again talks with opposition leaders. 
A judicial official with the prosecutor's office said Al Bashir was questioned over accusations that include money laundering and the possession of large amounts of foreign currency.
He said the probe partly related to millions of dollars' worth of cash in US dollars, euros and Sudanese pounds that were found in Al Bashir's home a week after his ouster.
A spokesman with the military's media office confirmed that this is the first time the former president was taken out from his prison in Khartoum.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about ongoing investigations.
On Sunday, Al Bashir was led from prison to a Toyota Land Cruiser, wearing a traditional white robe and turban.
The official SUNA news agency quoted a police spokesman as saying Al Bashir's defense lawyers attended the questioning and he returned to prison afterward.
Al-Bashir has the right to appeal within a week, SUNA reported.