Federal Court Sends Fuel-graft Case to Trial on Amended Charges

Federal Court Sends Fuel-graft Case to Trial on Amended Charges

Jun 27 , 2026. By NAHOM AYELE ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )

Federal prosecutors at the Lideta Division on Dejazmach Bekele Weya St. have amended a major fuel-corruption case, narrowing its scope and splitting the initial 13-defendant indictment into two separate trials. The tactical decision to split the case separates administrative domestic fuel-monitoring allegations from alleged violation of the international supply chain at the Djibouti border. Following the amendment, the Ministry of Justice dropped a third count on a 21 million Br loss, leading to the release of two detainees and the dismissal of charges against Yegna Petroleum Plc.

Federal prosecutors last week opened proceedings on an amended charge sheet at the Federal High Court's Lideta Division, on Dejazmach Bekele Weya St., narrowing one of the year's largest fuel-corruption cases and splitting it into two trials.

The revised indictment reduces the number of defendants and divides the initial case into two separate proceedings. It names Esmlealem Mihiretu, former director general of the Ethiopian Petroleum Supply Enterprise (EPSE); Dibara Fufa, deputy director general of the Ethiopian Petroleum & Energy Authority (EPEA); and seven others.

Prosecutors initially charged 13 defendants. Nine have remained in police custody since April, after federal prosecutors alleged they conspired for personal gain by supplying fuel to unauthorised beneficiaries, disrupting government operations and creating artificial shortages in the domestic market. According to the original charge sheet, the alleged scheme cost the federal government more than 68.8 million Br.

The amendment followed the prosecution's decision to withdraw the third count in that charge sheet, after the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) chose to drop it. The withdrawn count accused Dibara Fufa and two other EPEA officials of conspiring to unlawfully allocate more than one million litres of fuel to Yegna Petroleum Plc, allegedly costing the government more than 21 million Br.

With the count gone, the Justice Ministry ordered the release of Yilak Aweke and Abela Gizaw, who had been held solely in connection with it. Prosecutors also dropped charges against Yilkal Yenesew, the general manager of Yegna Petroleum Plc, and the company itself, both of whom had previously been prosecuted in absentia.

The principal case now carries nine defendants. Dibara, who faced three counts in the original indictment, is charged with two. Under the amended sheet, he, along with Shumalem Birhane, a fuel-supply and distribution-monitoring expert at the Authority, Estifanos Getnet, head of its energy market research & tariff desk, and others, is charged with causing more than 1.4 million Br in losses by "unlawfully facilitating the allocation of more than 30 million litres of fuel" to businesspeople, including Bereket Worku, widely known as "Bereket Geberewa," and Abush Ayalew.

Investigators have been unable to locate two of the businesspeople named in the amended indictment. Police told the Court that Bereket could not be found at her registered address. After prosecutors issued a public summons in a nationally circulated newspaper and she failed to appear, they requested that the Court proceed against her in absentia, and the Bench granted the request.

The status of another businessman, Abush Ayalew, drew a lengthy argument at the bench. His whereabouts, along with those of Getachew Amoghe, became the focus of the hearing on Thursday, June 25, 2026. Prosecutors requested more time to find the remaining defendants, arguing that police needed it to execute arrest warrants and to issue public notices before the accused could be brought before the Bench.

Defence lawyers objected, arguing that repeatedly extending the proceedings to accommodate defendants who had not been apprehended infringed on the rights of those already in custody. Representing Dibara, a defence lawyer appealed to the Court, stating that he had previously petitioned the prosecution to withdraw the charges against his client altogether.

"It's inappropriate to cause further delays for a case that should be dismissed," the lawyer argued.

Prosecutors objected, insisting that seeking time to apprehend the remaining suspects and publish newspaper notices did not violate the rights of defendants in custody. They rebuked the defence for assuming the case would eventually be dismissed, calling the assertion procedurally hasty.

Esmlealem Mihiretu, who remains in custody, will stand trial under a separate charge sheet alongside two former EPSE officials, Abayneh Awol and Bisrat Abebaw. The three are charged for "violating the national fuel supply-chain monitoring system, keeping nearly 1.9 million litres of fuel outside government control." Prosecutors claim that they unlawfully transported subsidised fuel from Djibouti, causing losses of more than 17.8 million Br.

The three-judge Bench asked the defence whether it intended to raise preliminary objections to the amended indictment. The defence responded that the amendments did not materially alter the case and argued that proceedings should move directly to the evidentiary stage. Prosecutors told the Court they had lined up 24 witnesses ready to testify.

The Bench adjourned until July 28 to hear the prosecution's witnesses and review efforts to locate the remaining defendants through the police and public notices. It also ruled that proceedings against Bereket would continue in absentia, after she failed to appear despite a public summons published in the newspapers. In addition to Bereket, prosecutors continue to seek Abush and Getachew. Yilkal, previously prosecuted in absentia, is no longer part of the proceedings following the withdrawal of charges against him.

PUBLISHED ON Jun 27,2026 [ VOL 27 , NO 1365]