UN says ex-Yemen president Saleh stole billions as country battles collapse

Yemen’s ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh is believed to have amassed between $32 billion and $60 billion through corruption during his 33 years in power, a UN report said Wednesday. Experts said that Saleh’s assets were stashed in at least 20 countries and the team is investigating the ex-leader’s connections with businessmen helping him to hide the funds. The UN Security Council blacklisted Saleh, who was ousted by Arab Spring protests in 2011, for obstructing peace in Yemen, notably for backing the Shiite Huthi militia that has seized power in Sanaa.

Saleh, his friends, his family and his associates stole money from the fuel subsidy program, which uses up to 10 per cent of Yemen’s gross domestic product, as well as other ventures involving abuse of power, extortion and embezzlement.

UN report

International alarm has been growing over the crisis in Yemen, a key U.S. ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda which borders Saudi Arabia. Fighters from the Shi’ite Muslim Houthi militia took over a special forces base in the capital and a coast guard station on the Red Sea on Wednesday, in a sign the group was consolidating its dominant position. Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Sanaa on Wednesday to denounce Houthi rule after the group forced  President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee.

Yemen Middle East