Former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Saturday admitted in the court of having received USD 25 million from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, albeit denied of having used the money for his own benefit.
"My office manager ... received a call from the office of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman saying he has a 'message' that will be sent on a private jet," Al Jazeera quoted al-Bashir as saying in court.
The former President added that Salman did not want the transferred money to be publicised, owing to which he did not submit it to the Sudanese treasury.
"We were told that the Crown Prince did not want his name to appear [linked to the transaction] ... and if the funds were deposited with Sudan's bank or the finance ministry, the source would have to be identified," he added.
The 75-year-old made the statement after a judge formally charged him with illicit possession of foreign currency and corruption. The offences could put al-Bashir behind bars for more than a decade.
The former President told the court that he gave five million dollars to the Rapid Support Forces, four million dollars to a university in Sudan and two million dollars to a military hospital, adding that he had no record of how the money was spent.
Large sums of money were found in al-Bashir's residence in April after he was toppled and arrested following months of nationwide protests against in rule.
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