The Banadir Regional Court on Sunday sentenced Ayan Abukar Mohamed to eight years in prison and fined her US$8,000 for terrorism financing and money laundering. The court found her guilty after the prosecutor’s office presented evidence that she used her account to collect funds for terrorists and committed crimes related to money laundering, financing terrorism, and joining an armed group opposed to the federal government of Somalia.
Ayaan defended herself, claiming her phone numbers were used to open the accounts by her former husbands, whose whereabouts are currently unknown to her. Despite her defence lawyers’ arguments that she did not commit the alleged crimes, the court, chaired by Salah Ali Mahamud (Damaan), convicted her based on the evidence presented.
