Sudan’s former president Omar Al-Bashir, 75, bags two year-jail term

A court in Khartoum has ruled that former president of Sudan Omar al-Bashir should be detained for two years in a correctional centre for corruption.

The much awaited verdict was one of several cases against the ousted autocrat, who ruled his country with iron hands, until he was ousted in April.

The court ordered the 75-year-old to serve two years in a correctional centre for the elderly. Bashir, who was toppled by the army in April after months of mass demonstrations, was convicted of graft and “possession of foreign currency”, judge Al Sadiq Abdelrahman said.

“Under the law, those who reached the age of 70 shall not serve jail terms,” the judge said. Bashir will serve his sentence after the verdict has been reached in another case in which he is accused of ordering the killing of demonstrators during the protests that led to his ouster, the judge said.

The court also ordered the confiscation of 6.9 million euros, $351,770 and 5.7 million Sudanese pounds ($128,000) found at Bashir’s home. The ex-president will appeal the verdict, said one of his lawyers, Ahmed Ibrahim. Outside the court, several dozen Bashir supporters protested chanting: “There is no god but God.”

During his trial which began in August, the deposed strongman appeared several times in a metal cage wearing the traditional Sudanese white jalabiya and turban. Bashir, who was toppled by the army in April after months of mass demonstrations, was convicted of graft and “possession of foreign currency”, judge Al Sadiq Abdelrahman said.