Deputy Customs Commissioner among nearly 100 officials arrested in financial crime crackdown

The crackdown, which has led to the identification of 109 suspects, targets alleged networks within the revenues and customs administration involved in manipulating tax assessments, processing forged payment receipts, and deleting electronic records. Enatalem Melese, head of the Government Communication Service, stated that the arrests are part of a broader effort to protect macroeconomic reforms from corruption, illicit trade, and "organized economic sabotage." The operation, a joint effort by the National Intelligence and Security Service, the Federal Police, and the Ministry of Justice, uncovered organized networks involving state-owned enterprises, government officials, merchants, and private individuals engaged in corruption, illicit financial transactions, contraband trade, tax evasion, and procurement fraud.

The crackdown has also resulted in the closure of over 7,000 businesses and warehouses for hoarding and market manipulation, and the accountability of nearly 170 individuals for illicit forex trading, unlawful remittance services, and money laundering. Legal action has been initiated against 29 exporters for failing to repatriate foreign exchange earnings, and 138 producers, brokers, and traffickers have been detained for illegal gold trading. Additionally, 36 individuals face charges for fraud and siphoning money from bank accounts,