Somali taxman sentenced to death for killing trader
A Somali military court has sentenced a revenue officer to death for the murder of a man following a dispute over a 5,000 Somali-shilling ($9; £7) tax, state TV says.
Qasim Duale Abdi shot dead businessman Abubakar Mohamed Nourani, 65, last week in the Hamarweyne district of the capital Mogadishu in front of dozens of onlookers for failing to pay the $9, state prosecutors told the court on Sunday.
The killing sent shockwaves throughout the country and among Somalis online, with even President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud intervening to call for justice for the victim.
The case was heard and concluded in one session on 15 January.
Mr Nourani’s family and friends thanked the court for the death sentence, saying they were satisfied with how security and judicial services handled the case.
The prosecution told the court that the victim’s business was so small it did not meet the threshold to pay tax, saying the convict was part of an extortion racket in Mogadishu.
The court ruled that the tax officer “deliberately killed the victim”.
The death penalty is legal in Somalia and executions for crimes such as murder are common in the country.
source: bbc
