The prosecutor was expected to institute a charge on Thursday against the suspects, which include businesspeople, executives of NBE and chemists working for the Ethiopian Geological Survey (EGS).  However, on that date the prosecutor told the court that since the case was very complicated it had not yet finalized its investigations and asked to be given fourteen more days. It also asked the court to join all the charges against the suspects.

 The suspects’ attorneys on their part said that the prosecutor was justifying the delay by presenting different reasons. They added that their clients should not be inconvenienced and asked the court to reject the prosecutor’s request to join the charges and an additional fourteen-day investigation period.

The court adjourned the case for yesterday to give a ruling on the requests of both parties.

In a session it held yesterday, the court granted the prosecutor an additional twelve more days to complete its investigation and ruled that the separate charges be joined under one case.

 The suspects’ attorneys complained that they were unable to meet their clients. They argued that the separate charges should not be joined under one file adding they should have been heard on the matter.
 
NBE buys placer (alluvial gold) from artisenal gold miners. Following a 2005 directive issued by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, individual traders were allowed to sell gold to the bank. The bank reportedly bought 54 kg of counterfeit gold from individuals at a cost of 158 million birr.

In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, NBE bought 1,938 kg of gold valued at 311,834,450 birr.

By Kaleyesus Bekele