​Federal prosecutors have filed severe corruption and money laundering charges against the former manager of the Ethiopian Job Market Information Project Office and 12 other Ministry of Labor and Skills officials.

​According to the charge sheet, primary suspect Birhanu Aleka Asgedom allegedly abused his authority to bypass standard vocational testing requirements. Investigators state he enabled individuals to secure Certificate of Competence (COC) credentials without adequate training, accumulating more than 1.1 billion birr in illicit wealth.

​The Federal High Court, Lideta Criminal Bench, heard that the misappropriated funds were systematically laundered through high-value real estate and vehicle acquisitions. Prosecutors emphasize that the scheme undermined national employment standards and public institutional integrity.

​In a related count within the same case file, co-accused official Ermias Teklu faces distinct charges involving transnational migration fraud. Authorities accuse him of facilitating the illegal travel of over 64,000 citizens to Jordan utilizing falsified visa documentation.

​The court has adjourned the proceedings to allow the defense teams to review the voluminous documentary evidence presented by the prosecution. Legal analysts note this high-profile case highlights ongoing federal efforts to crack down on systemic corruption within public service sectors.

​#Ethiopia #AntiCorruption #LaborAndSkills #RuleOfLaw #InvestigativeNews