KHARTOUM: Sudan'sdeposed longtime president Omar Al-Bashir appeared in court yesterday for thesecond hearing of his corruption trial, during which his defense asked for hisrelease on bail. Bashir, wearing a traditional white gown, sat in the samemetal cage he appeared in Monday when his trial on graft charges opened. In thefirst hearing, an investigator said Bashir had admitted to receiving at least$90 million in cash in recent years.
The judge in Khartoumyesterday heard three witnesses, two of them investigators who searchedBashir's residence after his ouster and the other a banker. "We ask thecourt to release the accused on bail," Bashir's lawyer Hashem Abu Bakrsaid, to which the judge answered he would examine a written request. After thehearing, as a massive security convoy escorted the 75-year-old Bashir back toprison, two opposing groups of demonstrators staged protests.
One group of afew dozen protesters chanted slogans for Bashir to face justice not just overcorruption but for his role in the country's deadly conflicts. "Bashir isa killer" and "He has to face justice", they chanted."Bashir has committed a number of crimes that he should be prosecuted for asa priority, not for these sums of money," said one demonstrator who gavehis name as Yasser Mohamed. Another smaller group turned out in support of thedeposed Islamist leader, who was forced from power by relentless protests inApril after 30 years in power. "We came here to support the legitimatepresident of the country," said Abdel Rahman Omar, one of the pro-Bashirdemonstrators.
While the sightof Bashir sitting inside a cage in a courtroom was unthinkable only months ago,many in Sudan and abroad have warned that the graft trial should not distractfrom the more serious indictments he faces. The former Sudanese leader iswanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague over his role in masskillings in the western region of Darfur. A landmark deal was signed on Aug 17,setting a roadmap for Sudan's transition to civilian rule and democraticelections in 2022.
In the interim,the country will be led by a Sovereign Council that includes six civilians andfive members of the military. While the generals in the transitional bodieseventually sided with the protests that brought down Bashir, they rose up theranks in Bashir's regime and many Sudanese are wary of their commitment to thetransition. The next hearing in Bashir's corruption trial was set for Aug 31. -AFP