How Ethiopian diplomats siphoned government funds

Documents handed to Addis Standard by a whistle-blower have revealed that funds belonging to the Ethiopian expat community in Lebanon were misappropriated by the Ethiopian government and secretly used to pay US$600 000 worth of fees owed to an American lobby firm in 2019. The transfer was carried out in April of 2009 via Ethiopia's consulate in Saudi Arabia and was deposited into a back account belonging to Washington DC based legal entity, DLA Piper. The company is best known for its PR and lobbying for the Ethiopian Government several years ago. The report notes that DLA Piper's name became a household name among Ethiopians for having successfully convinced American lawmakers to quash a Bill condemning Ethiopia's human rights record in 2007. The documents, whose authenticity Addis Standard confirmed after months of investigations, reveal that not all the money used by the government officials to pay for the services, belonged to it. They also reveal that a number of government representatives, including ambassadors to at least two countries, and Foreign Ministry staff, were aware of this.