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Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi

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Sayyid
Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi
أحمد عبدالله محمد سامبي
Sambi in 2009
8th President of the Comoros
In office
26 May 2006 – 26 May 2011
Vice PresidentIkililou Dhoinine
Idi Nadhoim
Preceded byAzali Assoumani
Succeeded byIkililou Dhoinine
Personal details
Born (1958-06-05) 5 June 1958 (age 66)
Mutsamudu, Comoros
Political partyJuwa Party
SpouseHadjira Djoudi
ProfessionBusinessperson
NicknameAyatollah

Sayyid Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi (Arabic: أحمد عبدالله محمد سامبي, born 5 June 1958) is a Comorian Islamic leader and politician, and former President of Comoros. He is popularly known as 'Ayatollah'. After easily winning the 14 May 2006 presidential election with 58.02% of the national vote, Sambi was inaugurated as President of the Union of the Comoros on 26 May 2006. It was the first peaceful transfer of power in the history of the Comoros.

Personal life

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Sambi was born in Mutsamudu, on the island of Anjouan. He is a father of seven children including two named Intisware and Fatoumat. He owns factories which produce mattresses, bottled water and perfume - a key Comorian export. He lives above a shop called The House of Mattresses in Mutsamudu, the capital of Anjouan. He also set up a television station called Ulezi (education).[1]

He is of Hadhrami Sayyid Arab ancestry, belonging to the Ba 'Alawi Sadah of Hadhramaut in Yemen, the tribe is the progeny of Ahmed Al-Muhajir who was grandson of Ali Al-Uraydi, a fourth generation descendant of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[2]

"The Ayatollah of Comoros"

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He was educated in Islamic studies in Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Qom, Iran. According to the Tehran-based Tabnak news agency, while Sambi was there he studied under Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi.[3] Despite his Sunni background, Sambi's time in Iran and his penchant for turbans earned him the nickname "The Ayatollah of Comoros".[1][3]

Political career

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Running as an independent candidate in the 16 April 2006 presidential primary election on the island of Anjouan, Sambi placed first out of thirteen candidates, winning 23.70% of the vote.

In the 14 May election, Sambi was declared the victor on 15 May by Secretary of State for elections Ali Abdallah over retired French air force officer Mohamed Djaanfari and long-time politician Ibrahim Halidi, whose candidacy was backed by Azali Assoumani, the outgoing president.[4]

Corruption charges

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Main article: Comoros passport sales scandal

In 2018 Sambi was charged for planning the Comoros Passport scheme with Bashar Kiwan netting $200 million dollar from the UAE government.[5][6]

In August 2018, Comoros authorities charged former president Ahmed Abdullah Sambi and Bachar Kiwan with corruption, embezzlement of public funds and forgery related to the sales of Comoros passports.[7] Sambi was jailed, and in September 2018 appealed to the Supreme Court to be granted unrestricted access to his lawyer to defend himself in the corruption case.[7]

From 21 to 24 November 2022, Ahmed Abdullah Sambi, Bashar Kiwan, Majd Suleiman, and other directors of Comoro Gulf Holdings, the company that allegedly facilitated the sales, were tried for high treason, embezzlement and money laundering of Comorian public funds allegedly diverted from the economic citizenship program.[8][9] Prosecutors sought a life sentence for the former president and his accomplices.[10] On 28 November 2022, Sambi was sentenced to life in prison.[11]

Political views

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Sambi has been quoted as saying that Comoros is not ready to become an Islamic state, nor will anyone be forced to wear a veil under his presidency. He also promised to fight corruption, create jobs and build better houses for the majority of Comorians living in poverty.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Profile: The 'Ayatollah' of Comoros". BBC News. 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
  2. ^ الفضائية - برامج القناة (in Arabic). Al-Jazeera. 2009. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  3. ^ a b Javedanfar, Meir (2009-05-06). "Ahmadinejad's messianic connections". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  4. ^ "Islamist elected Comoros leader". BBC News. 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
  5. ^ "Former Comoros president charged in passport scandal". The New Arab. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  6. ^ Amir, Ali; Lewis, David (21 August 2018). "Ex-Comoros president charged with graft in connection to passports scheme". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Comoros Ex-Leader Held Over Passport Sales Demands Lawyer Access". Bloomberg.com. 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  8. ^ "Comoros Ex-leader Refuses To Attend High Treason Trial". AFP News. November 22, 2022.
  9. ^ "Comores : l'ancien président Sambi jugé pour "haute trahison"". Le Figaro. November 21, 2022.
  10. ^ "Comoros Seeks Life Term For Ex-president Sambi For High Treason". AFP News. November 24, 2022.
  11. ^ "Comoros court sentences former president to life in prison". FRANCE 24. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
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Political offices
Preceded by President of the Comoros
2006–2011 		Succeeded by
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