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Somalia: Three Britons pardoned by president | Somalia: Three Britons pardoned by president |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Somalia has pardoned three Britons caught illegally bringing more than $3m (£2m) in cash into the country to pay a ransom to Somali pirates. | |
The three of them, together with an American and two Kenyans, were arrested on 24 May shortly after flying into Mogadishu airport with the money. | |
All six, who have not been officially named, were sentenced to jail but the president has since pardoned them. | |
The group has left Somalia without the money which the government confiscated. | |
They were also told to pay $100,000 (£62,000) to get their planes released. | |
The Foreign Office has not commented on the pardons. | |
Cash retained | Cash retained |
Government spokesman Abdirahman Omar Osman said: "Because of their illegal arrival, the two planes were each fined $50,000 [£31,000]. And the $3.6m in cash has been taken by the government." | |
The two men accused of carrying the cash received 15-year sentences and were also fined $15,000 (£9,000) each. | The two men accused of carrying the cash received 15-year sentences and were also fined $15,000 (£9,000) each. |
The other four men - two pilots and their assistants - received 10-year sentences and fines of $10,000 (£6,000). | |
On Sunday however, President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, of the interim government, pardoned all six men. | |
This was the first time Westerners have been sentenced for involvement in delivering ransoms. | |
The Somali government officially opposes the payment of ransoms but the practice has become routine. It is not clear why this group of men fell foul of the authorities. | |
The BBC's East Africa correspondent Will Ross said: "Almost all the ships to have been held by Somali pirates have only been released after the payment of a hefty ransom - often several million dollars." | |
He said ransoms were usually air-dropped onto hijacked ships by secretive security firms. | |
"One government minister said the episode was proof that westerners were fuelling the piracy off the Somali coast," he added. | |
The UN says more than $110m in ransoms were paid to Somali pirates last year. | The UN says more than $110m in ransoms were paid to Somali pirates last year. |
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