Somalia jails 6 men 10-15 years for flying in ransom money to pay pirates

A SOMALI court has jailed an American, three Britons and two Kenyans 10 to 15 years for illegally bringing US$3.6 million in ransom money to free two ships and their crews seized by pirates.

The Somali government bans ransom payments ostensibly to stop piracy, but such transactions have become routine, reported Newark`s Journal of Commerce, adding that this was the first time westerners have been sentenced under this law. The United Nations says $110 million was paid in pirate ransom last year.


The men, three of whom were working for a Nairobi-based security contractor, were arrested May 24 after they landed Mogadishu airport and were waiting to transfer the cash to another light plane on which it would be flown elsewhere.


Two men charged with carrying the cash received 15-year sentences and were fined $15,000 each, and the other four, including the pilot, got 10 years and fines of $10,000, said the report.


The International Maritime Bureau said pirates took a record 1,181 hostages and seized 53 ships in 2010, all but four by Somali pirates. But hijackings have dropped 30 per cent because of this more armed onboard security contractors and efforts by naval forces to suppress pirates, or PAGs (pirate action groups) as they are now called. Most recently such action included two pirate skiffs being sunk by a German warship.


Meanwhile, pirates released two more ships last week - presumably after ransom payments - thereby reducing the captive fleet to 18 ships, reported London`s Containerisation International. General cargo ship the Suez was free after 317 days and another general cargo vessel, the Susan K, was released after 70 days. There remain 400 hostages including 52 who have been captive for more than a year.