The Somali State of Ethiopia regional parliament on Sunday unanimously decided to revoke the immunity from prosecution of the ousted former President Abdi Iley and six Mps, Radio Dalsan reports.
The decision by the Parliament will pave way for possible prosecution for alleged human rights abuse and misuse of power.
However according to officials in the region the seven lawmakers including Abdi Iley still hold their posts in the Somali State parliament
Abdi Iley is currently under custody after he was recently transfered back to the administrative capital of the Somali State Jigjiga from the country’s capital Addis Ababa.
The decision came as Mustafa Omer returned to the administrative capital Jigjiga to be sworn in as the interim President at the regional Party headquarters late Sunday.
The six regional Mps are
Rahma Haybe, Abdijamal Ahmed,
Ibrahim Adan Sa’ab, Deq A Burale Laba-go’le, Ibrahim M. Mubarak and Jigjiga Mayor Omar Mohamed Rooti,
Omer was declared the new president of the mainly ethnic Somali region of Ethiopian last Wednesday by the executive and council members of Ethiopian Somali People’s Democratic Party and clan elders in Addis Ababa.
Mr. Omer will head the region in acting capacity until the May 2020 elections.
The seat fell vacant after the resignation of Abdi Iley following a standoff with the federa government that led to the Ethiopian national army taking over the security of the Somali region.
Omer on Thursday declared a change of the official name of the region to Somali State restoring the region’s original flag that had a projection of the blue and white star flag of the Republic of Somalia.
