Alcohol trader sentenced to five years in Puntland

A Nugal Regional Court today sentenced a woman to five years in prison and fined her $2,000 for selling alcohol.

The woman, Habibo Ali Osman, was convicted after witnesses testified in court that she was found to have alcohol in her home.

The Nugal Regional Prosecutor said the woman had been previously arrested four times but had been released. The prosecutor accused her of being a threat to the morality of society.

Habibo Ali Osman, 50, denied the charges, saying it had been fabricated, but admitted that she had limited involvement in smuggling.

After hearing the charges from the prosecutor and the lawyers defending the accused,  the chairman of the Nugal Regional Court, Sheikh Abdinur Jama Hussein sentenced, the woman to five years in prison and a fine of
$2,000.

The court gave the convict one month’s appeal if she was not satisfied with the sentence.

Puntland regional officials have vowed to combat drug and alcohol use in the region. Alcohol is strictly prohibited in Somalia due to the country’s Islamic culture. Most of the alcohol smuggled into Puntland arrives from Ethiopia.