Senior Sudan refugee agency official arrested amid corruption probe

April 26, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudanese authorities on Saturday arrested a senior official at the National Commission for Refugees (COR) in Port Sudan as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and administrative violations, government sources and a COR employee said.

Awad Ali Maidan, the Director of COR’s Executive Office, was taken into custody. His arrest follows the publication last March by Sudan Tribune of official documents indicating significant irregularities at the refugee agency. These included alleged violations of dismissal and appointment policies, administrative regulations, and civil service laws, particularly since the outbreak of war in April 2023.

Government sources told Sudan Tribune that the prosecution has filed a case (No. 994) against Maidan at the Airport Police Station in Port Sudan, charging him with corruption and impersonation under Article 93 of the Criminal Code.

An employee at COR confirmed Maidan’s arrest and detention on Saturday.

The employee added that authorities have launched wide-ranging investigations into the irregularities at the commission previously reported by Sudan Tribune.

He predicted the probe could implicate an official within one of Sudan’s sovereign ministries over the alleged illegal reinstatement of a dismissed COR employee to a senior post.

According to previous reports citing COR employees, Maidan himself had been accused of leaking files, leading to his dismissal by the former Commissioner. He was later reinstated following a decision involving the Interior Minister and the current acting Commissioner, Mohammed Al-Tohami.