Ethiopian Review and EMF conducted a press conference with Kinijit North America auditor, Ato Tesfaye Asmamaw. Ato Tesfaye, a senior accountant with the U.S. Federal Elections Commission, has also served as the auditor of Kinijit North America. Ato Tesfaye has informed us that he has finished preparing a comprehensive report to be presented to the Kinijit executive committee in Addis Ababa. The report exposes the rampant corruption that went on inside the Kinijit North America committee under the leadership of Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew, in collaboration with his long time friend since their EDU days, Ato Moges Brook of Los Angeles. Between these two individuals, according to the auditor, $700,000 – $1.2 million dollars have been stolen, wasted, or unaccounted for. This figure doesn’t include funds collected in cash that had nevere been deposited in a bank account. Some of the wasteful expenses include $4,000 for just one restaurant bill, $6,000 for unauthorized trip to Kenya, etc. Only $23,000 have been sent to Ethiopia to assist the families of the jailed leaders. But even this money was not given to those who needed it. The money was distributed to the shaleqa’s and Ato Moges Brook’s friends who didn’t need the money.
According to Ato Tesfaye, the Internal Revenue Service and the State of Virginia have now launched investigations in to the financial improprieties by the shaleqa and group of friends.
Shaleqa Yoseph and group have shamed themselves and the party they were put in charge of. They betrayed their party and the people of Ethiopia. What is more sad and telling about all of us is that these individuals are being tolerated and allowed to continue holding leadership positions inside the party. We are condemning the corrupt Woyanne regime, but at the same time, we are tolerating outright stealing of public funds inside Kinijit.
After learning all the hard facts about the corruption that went on inside Kinijit and yet the top leaders fail to take strong actions, then the problem will not be with the shaleqa and his cohorts alone. Kinijit’s name will be irreparably tarnished as a corrupt party.
Click here to listen the full interview with Ato Tesfaye Asmamaw.