Saturday October 25, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali government has refused to extradite the
former director of Qardho Hospital, Jama Mohamud Abdi, who is accused of raping
and distributing indecent images of Somali girls in Qardho, to the Puntland
regional state.
According to sources, the Somali Police Force Commander is
pushing for the accused to be tried in Mogadishu rather than in Puntland, where
he has reportedly been acquitted of the charges in his case and where other
individuals are currently being held in connection with the same incident.
The Federal Government had initially planned to transfer the
accused to Puntland. However, when a Puntland security official who had been
handling the case was arrested in Garowe for allegedly cooperating with the
Federal Government, the plan was withdrawn.
Angered by the arrest of the officer, the Federal Government
reportedly decided not to transfer the accused to Puntland. The Office of the
Attorney General later issued a statement confirming that the Federal
Government had taken over the case, meaning the accused will now be tried in
Mogadishu.
Last week, Somali authorities, in collaboration with
Interpol, arrested Jama Mohamud Abdi, the former director of Qardho Hospital,
and brought him to Mogadishu to face rape charges.
The Office of the Attorney General said on Sunday that an
investigation revealed Jama was involved in acts of rape, as well as recording
and sharing indecent images from incidents that occurred in Qardho on social
media.