Addis Ababa, October 24, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice has initiated prosecution proceedings against 13 suspects in a major alleged corruption case involving the Ethiopia Labor Market Information System (ELMIS) project, with investigators tracing more than 1.013 billion birr collected through allegedly fraudulent bank accounts and recovering cryptocurrency assets worth $965,508.
The suspects include Berhanu Aleka Asgedom, former manager of the Ethiopia Labor Market Information Project Office, alongside 12 other individuals comprising project and institutional employees, employment agency owners, and others implicated in the investigation.
According to the investigation, the project was operated outside established procedures, and the system was launched without the required verification of quality standards. Investigators also found that special system-administrator privileges had allegedly been granted to three individuals who were not Ministry employees and were unknown to the institution.
The unauthorized access allegedly enabled 81,236 people to obtain vocational competency certificates without meeting the required educational and training standards.
Investigators further identified two bank accounts allegedly used to collect more than 1.013 billion birr. Authorities have frozen 249 million birr held in a bank account, while $965,508 converted into cryptocurrency was traced through technology-assisted investigations, frozen under a court order and transferred to the National Bank of Ethiopia.
The investigation also found that restrictions imposed on employment agencies that had failed to remit foreign currency were allegedly lifted in exchange for bribes amounting to 10.1 million birr.
In another dimension of the case, investigators found that 64,500 Ethiopian citizens had allegedly been sent to Jordan and other Arab countries using fraudulent visa documents, leaving them exposed to serious hardship.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Federal Police, Ministry of Justice, National Intelligence and Security Service, Information Network Security Administration, Financial Intelligence Center and National Bank of Ethiopia.
As part of efforts to secure evidence linked to the alleged proceeds of crime, authorities seized six modern houses in Lemi Kura, Bole and Kirkos districts, each valued at between 55 million and 68 million birr. A V6 vehicle reportedly purchased for 68 million birr was also seized.
Investigations remain underway to identify other individuals who may have participated in the alleged scheme, as well as employment agencies that failed to remit foreign currency as required.
Authorities have called on families whose children travelled abroad for employment and subsequently lost contact with them, as well as anyone with relevant information, to assist the investigation. Information can be provided through the EFPApp, the toll-free number 991, a Smart Police Station (SPS), or in person at the Criminal Investigation General Directorate.
The suspects’ criminal responsibility will be determined through the judicial process.