Junedin Sado in hospital

By T, Staffer of De Birhan 
03 November 2012

Civil Service Minister Junedin Sado

Junedin Sado, the Minister of Ethiopian Civil Service whose wife has last week been charged in "terrorism" related charges by the Ethiopian Court, has fallen seriously sick and is being treated at an unnamed hospital in Bangkok, Thailand sources told De Birhan.   Details about the causes of his current sickness and related issues have not been yet identified. 

Junedin  was also fired from the Oromo People’s Democratic Organisation's (OPDO),  a constituent of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, the ruling coalition, Executive Committee last month. He previously served as the president of the OPDO.

The wife of Junedin, Habiba Mohammed, was on Monday charged with "funnelling money from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia to Islamist terror groups, at a hearing at the Ethiopian Federal High Court, on Monday."

According to the prosecution, Ms. Habiba allegedly allegedly received more than 50,000 ETB from the Saudi Arabian Embassy to fund “illegal activities” among Ethiopia’s Muslim population.

In a letter published prior to his expulsion, Mr. Junedin defended his wife and criticised the Federal police, prompting a sharp reaction from the establishment. In the letter, Mr. Junedin said that he had approached the Saudi Arabian Embassy in his personal capacity to raise money to build a mosque to fulfil the wishes expressed in the will of his late mother. The money recovered from his wife, Mr. Junedin said, was meant for the mosque and not to fund terrorist activities, reported Hindu News last week.

The Indian Ocean Newsletter had reported two weeks ago that Junedin has been banned from leaving the country by the Ethiopian security services after he informed his Deputy Minister that he was to go to Thailand for a medical examination.