Thursday 10 January 2019

Is there corruption in Ethiopia's Metal and Engineering Corporation (METEC)?

Ethiopia has been in upheaval for the last 4 years. It all started with a well organised opposition to The Addis Ababa Master Plan, a city plan which tried to modernise the capital city incorporating neighbouring zones under the Oromo Regional State. It was planned to make Addis Ababa the world's largest metropolis with trains and condominiums catering Ethiopians living in the city. Unfortunately power hungry individuals like The Lemma Mergessa Team and the current self-appointed prime minister were used by USA and The Western Countries to sabotage such noble plans of the government and people of Ethiopia.

The supporters of Lemma Mergessa and Abiy Ahmed, The Oromo Youth or Qerros were burning factories, destroying public vehicles, blocking roads, threatening the police and unarmed civilians etc demanding the government  stop the Addis Master Plan. The Qerros and their leaders, Abiy Ahmed and Lemma Mergessa were shooting at civil servants and were waging a propoganda campaign that The Addis Master Plan was robbing Oromo farmer their lands and Oromo lands were beingconfiscated by the government in power.The Amhara Youth, in the north West, were also destroying factories and killing the police officers. They were demanding democracy, as if democracy stands against development. It was stupid to burn factories and destroy public vehicles. A propaganda machine, ESAT, fully organised by Egypt and it's running dog Eritrea was misinforming the Ethiopian people. Voice of America (VOA), Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany) - DW, Ze Habesha (ዘ ቆሻሻ ) etc waged a heinous propaganda against EPRDF led government. Amhara tribalists in USA were confronting Ethiopian diplomats in the streets of Washington, New York and other major US cities, threatening them physically. The propaganda machine involved a Nigerian lady broadcaster and a group of West African  lawyers came to the forefront  critising Ethiopia under EPRDF and were verbally aggressive against EPRDF led Ethiopa. This was organised by CIA or the German spy agencies with willing Ethiopian and African sell outs.

On 2nd April 2018, Abiy Ahmed took power in a clandestine way. EPRDF leaders were threatened and had to give power to a person, whom the party did NOT know that he was the enemy within. USA supported Abiy Ahmed to take the reins of power in Addis Ababa. Prisoners were immediately released. Some of the prisoners have killed innocent citizens. Andargatchew Tsige, a British was released even though he was responsible for organising armed groups to kill Ethiopian soldiers and supporters of the ruling party in Ethiopia. Some Muslim fundamentalists who were supporters of ISIS were released. This was actively supported by USA and The West. It transpired that TPLF-EPRDF leaders were begging The White House and their satellites in the West such asThe British Government  to stop intervening in Ethiopia's internal affairs. Herman Cohen, the former United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs  insulted TPLF-EPRDF as a cleptocratic and minority government contrary to what the facts showed. Leading politicians from TPLF, the main coalition partner in EPRDF were in USA soliciting for support of The White House. The US Government clearly took stand against constitutionally elected government of Ethiopia and was supporting Abiy Ahmed and Lemma Mergessa, who took power through a well organised coup, that took  4 years to accomplish

In the Morning of July 26, 2018 Engineer Semegnew Bekele, CEO of The Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, was found dead in his car at Mesqel Square in Addis Ababa.


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Engineer Semegnew Bekele, ex-CEO, The Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, assassinated on 26th July 2018, at Meskel Square, Addis Ababa

The government led by Mr. Abiy reported that Engoneer Semegnewe Bekele committed suicide.The Ethiopian people should hire a competent private detective to find how Semegnew Bekele was assassinated or killed. Which way it goes, the government of Abiy Ahmed is responsible for the death of Semgnew Bekele. The self-appointed prime minister reported that the work on The Great Renaissance Dam (GERD) was to slow down. GERD was to start producing electricity by the end of 2018 in four turbines, the electromechanical installation of which was managed by METEC

METEC, Metals and Engineering Corporation, Ethiopia's Industrial Military Complex and Salini Impregilo, an Italian Dam Construction Company were the main companies responsible for the completion of GERD. After Abiye Ahmed took power, Salini Impregilo's contract was cancelled. It was reported that Salini Impregilo was paid £300 million as compensation.

METEC, Metals and Engineering Corporation was declared as incompetent and bankrupt shortly after the death of Engineer Semegew Bekele. Abiy Ahmed appointed a new CEO, who later resigned.
The former CEO, METEC, General Kinfe Dagnew was arrested on reasons of high profiled corruption and graft. He was flown from Humera, West Tigray on a Helicopter to Addis Abeba, chained as a criminal. To Kinfe Dagew and Tigray people in general such measures do not demoralise them. It was clear this was a political show process the solution lay in the political struggle of the people of Tigray to fight injustice in whatever form it appeared. It meant a declaration of war on Tigray people in the name of fighting corruption. Kinfe Dagnew's humiliation went through every family in Tigray.  Tigrayan or non-Tigrayan  authorities in METEC were not involved in corruption. They were motivated by the idea of industrialising Ethiopia. If their main goal was to enrich themselves, they would not be in Ethiopia by now. They would run away with the money and settle in foreign countries.



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 General Kinfe Dagnew, ex-CEO, Metal and Engineering Corporation, now in prison

METEC had a clear account of it's expenditures and incomes. METEC was a military industrial  conglomerate and was already exporting military armaments to some countries. The African Peace Keeping force in Somalia purchases tanks and other armaments from METEC. METEC assembled city buses to Addis Ababa, amounting  to hundreds of millions dollar contract. Above all, METEC was involved in providing the materials necessary to build the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam or The Nile Dam. This is a great engineering work and METEC started from a scratch. METEC grew to one of Africa's largest conglomerates and was also interested in international contracts. It could have provided material necessary for the construction of dams in Southern Africa.

Unfortunately METEC is being attacked by the new prime minister of Ethiopia as being inefficient and corrupt. General Kinfe Dagnew and others are imprisoned. Neither Kinfe Dagnew nor any of  the charged were involved in any crime that justified their arrest. There might have been some petty financial mismanagement, but most of the projects were running properly and as an industrial military complex, METEC should not offer bids. METEC should have had free access to foreign currency and most of it's business were run in a secretive way as the business was related to some issues of national security. For example, the construction of nuclear facilities would be kept as secret and the projects would not be tendered.  The manufacturing of fighter jets or small planes would be kept secret. The accusations coming from The General Attorney are naive and treasonous. The General Attorney  should  have NOT expected to publicise the national secret plans to empower Ethiopia with military armaments. METEC was entrusted by the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

The accusations against METEC are baseless. The arresst of General Kinfe Dagnew is wrong as Kinfe Dagnew was not corrupt. Under his leadership, METEC became a global company. Kinfe Dagew was a revolutionary and a guerrilla fighter in TPLF( Tigray Pople's Liberation Front). He was hand-picked by Meles Zenawi to transform Ethiopia's military industrial complex. Kinfe Dagnew has achieved what Ethiopia was dreaming, a capable industrial military complex, which METEC is now. Arresting Kinfe Dagnew is entirely wrong. Industrialists and patriots as Kinfe Dagnew should be protected and thanked for the pioneering endeavours . The accusations of corruption and graft against METEC CEO and other managers  are political and not factual as the statements of The Attorney General show.

Ethiopia's government should release immediately Kinfe Dagnew  and others who are imprisoned for allegations of corruption in METEC. METEC has in fact pushed  Ethiopia to be one of the leading nations in industry. METEC has saved enormous amount of hard currency. We call the government to stop reducing METEC a worthless company by appointing persons with no knowledge or vision  of what METEC stands for.

We call Ethiopian patriots to oppose the government in Addis Ababa for arresting General Kinfe Dagnew and others in relation to allegation of corruption in METEC, which is not the case as statements of The Attorney General clearly show. We call the Ethiopian public to investigate the circumstances Engineer Semgew was assassinated. This is not necessarily to say Abiy Ahmed was directly involved. Egypt and Eritrea could be behind the assassination of Semgnew Bekele. Ethiopia should stand for Semgew Bekele. We should not forget Semgnew because it is betraying Ethiopia if we allow innocent citizens who have been working in good faith for the best of their country to be killed or assassinated at some point in their life. Such assassinations were committed by King Haile Selassie on Ethiopian patriots who were fighting against Italy in 1935-1941. Haile Selassie killed most of the patriots or made them suffer by denying them housing, land or financial support from the state. Belai Zeleke, an Amhara patriot and hero from Gojamme  was hanged in a public place by the order of Haile Selassie.


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