13 defendants, six firms referred to State Security Court over bid to transit military material to Port Sudan Authority

Counsellor Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, Attorney-General of the UAE, has ordered the referral of 13 defendants and six UAE-registered companies to the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal (State Security Court), on charges of illicit trafficking in military material, forgery, and money laundering.

The decision follows extensive investigations by the Public Prosecution, which revealed that the defendants attempted to pass a shipment of ammunition through UAE territory to the Port Sudan Authority, in clear violation of the laws and regulations in force in the country.

Investigations found that the case is linked to procurement arrangements requested by the armament committee of the Port Sudan Authority, chaired by Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and his deputy Yasser Al Atta, with coordination attributed to Othman Mohammed Al Zubair Mohammed.

The scope of the charges also includes individuals alleged to have played roles in direction and coordination, including Salah Abdallah Mohammed Saleh, known as Salah Gosh.

The defendants face charges of illicit trafficking in military material, forgery and use of official documents, as well as laundering proceeds derived from these crimes, constituting serious violations of UAE law.

According to the prosecutors, the operation was carried out through two interrelated transactions involving prior planning and the use of commercial and financial fronts to conceal its unlawful nature.

In the first transaction, concluded outside the UAE, an agreement was reached to supply military material including Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, and grenades, with a declared value of $13 million, while its actual value did not exceed $10 million.

The difference was allocated as illicit commissions distributed among the defendants for facilitating the deal, with payments routed through licensed companies and bank accounts in the UAE under fictitious commercial cover.

The second transaction was executed within the UAE using more than $2 million from the proceeds of the first deal to procure an additional shipment of ammunition.

Part of this shipment was brought into the country through fraudulent means to conceal its true nature, via a private aircraft in preparation for transfer to Port Sudan.

The competent authorities succeeded in uncovering the operation, tracking financial flows and shipments, and foiling the scheme before completion. The defendants were arrested and the attempted transit of materiel was prevented.

Investigations further revealed that the scheme extended beyond the seized shipment, including preparations to smuggle an additional five million rounds of Goryunov ammunition through six further transactions. The disruption of the first shipment prevented the execution of these operations.

The investigation resulted in conclusive evidence, including the seizure and analysis of financial and commercial records, documents and official correspondence, as well as tracked bank transfers and cash flows linked to the transactions.

The evidence also included confessions from several defendants, as well as documented recordings and communications demonstrating coordination among those involved.

The Attorney-General had previously announced on April 30, 2025, that security authorities had foiled an attempt to pass weapons and military materiel through unlawful means to the Port Sudan Authority, leading to the arrest of individuals involved and forming the basis of the current case.

In its concluding statement, the Public Prosecution stressed that the UAE will not tolerate any attempt to exploit its territory, institutions, or financial system for unlawful purposes, affirming that the sovereignty and security of the state are a red line and that the law will be applied with full firmness to all those involved.

First: The named individuals referred to trial:

1- Rashed Omar Abdul Qader Ali;

2- Mohammed Al Fath Mohammed Beik;

3- Salah Abdallah Mohammed Saleh;

4- Abdullah Khalafallah;

5- Ahmed Rabie Sayed Ahmed Mohammed;

6- Yasser Abdulrahman Hassan Al Atta;

7- Othman Mohammed Al Zubair Mohammed;

8- Maher Abduljalil Mohammed Abduljalil;

9- Khaled Yousef Mukhtar Yousef;

10- Ahmed Khalafallah Abdullah Ahmed;

11- Mubarak Ali Al Sheikh Mohammed;

12- Othman Bakr Ali Karrar;

13- Musab Awad Al Karim Hassan Mohammed.

Second: The six companies referred to trial:

1- Rashed Omar Brokerage Company;

2- Portex Trade Limited;

3- Wardat Al Masarra Trading Company;

4- Sudamina Company;

5- Yellow Sand Trading Company;

6- Apollara Electronics Trading Company.