Sudan's ex-president got $90mn from Saudi Crown Prince: Official

Sudan's Omar al-Bashir has admitted that he received $90 million in cash from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other royals, says a senior police official.

According to Press TV, Sudanese Police Brigadier Ahmed Ali, a detective working on the Bashir corruption case, told a Khartoum court on Monday that the deposed longtime president had said the money was "delivered by some of bin Salman's envoys."

"The accused told us that the money was part of a sum of $25 million sent to him by Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be used outside of the state budget," the police official said.

Bashir had also received two previous payments of $35 million and $30 million from Saudi King Abdullah, who died in 2015.

Large amounts of cash were found at Bashir's residence after he was toppled earlier this year.

Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who heads the military council currently ruling Sudan, earlier said over 113 million dollars' worth of cash in three currencies were seized at the house.

Bashir, whose military regime ruled Sudan for 30 years, is accused of "corruption, illicit possession of foreign currency and accepting gifts illegally."

His lawyer, Ahmed Ibrahim, has dismissed the accusations, telling reporters after the hearing that it was usual for leaders to hold amounts of foreign currency.

"There is no information or evidence with regards to the accusations of illicit gains aimed at Bashir," Ibrahim said.

The 75-year-old former president was deposed on April 11 following months of protests and is being held in the capital's Kober prison.

Sudan suffered high rates of corruption during his rule, ranking 172 out of 180 countries in Transparency International's 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index.

In May, Bashir was charged with ordering the killing of protesters during the anti-government demonstrations that eventually led to his downfall.

ME