Sayyid Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi ( ar, أحمد عبدالله محمد سامبي, born 5 June 1958) is a Comorian

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic leader and politician, and former

President of Comoros The following is a list of heads of state of the Comoros, since the country gained independence from France in 1975. List of officeholders Timeline Succession Article 58 of the Comorian Constitution states that "in case of absolute absen ...

. He is popularly known as ' Ayatollah'. After easily winning the 14 May 2006 presidential election with 58.02% of the national vote, Sambi was inaugurated as President of the Union of the Comoros on 26 May 2006. It was the first

peaceful transfer of power A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly-elected leadership. This may be after elections or during t ...

in the history of the Comoros.

Personal life

Sambi was born in Mutsamudu, on the island of Anjouan. He is a father of seven children including two named Intisware and Fatoumat. He owns factories which produce mattresses, bottled water and perfume - a key Comorian export. He lives above a shop called The House of Mattresses in Mutsamudu, the capital of Anjouan. He also set up a television station called Ulezi (education). He is of Hadhrami ancestry, descending from the Ba 'Alawi family of Hadhramaut (now part of Yemen). Therefore, he is a descendant of Ali al-Uraidhi ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq and hence a Sayyid.

"The Ayatollah of Comoros"

He was educated in Islamic studies in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, Saudi Arabia and

Qom Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or "Qum") ( fa, قم ) is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census, its popul ...

, Iran. According to the Tehran-based Tabnak news agency, while Sambi was there he studied under

Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi Ayatollah Taqi Mesbah ( fa, تقی مصباح‌; born Taqi Givechi, fa, تقی گیوه‌چی), commonly known as Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi ( fa, محمدتقی مصباح‌ یزدی, 31 January 1935 – 1 January 2021) was an Iranian Shi' ...

. Despite his

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

background, Sambi's time in Iran and his penchant for turbans earned him the nickname "The Ayatollah of Comoros".

Political career

Running as an independent candidate in the 16 April 2006 presidential primary election on the island of Anjouan, Sambi placed first out of thirteen candidates, winning 23.70% of the vote. In the 14 May election, Sambi was declared the victor on 15 May by Secretary of State for elections Ali Abdallah over retired

French air force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

officer

Mohamed Djaanfari Mohamed Djaanfari (born 1952) is a politician in The Comoros. He is a retired French air force officer, local transportation tycoon and Vice-President of the Assembly of the Union of the Comoros. He contested the 2006 presidential elections and ende ...

and long-time politician Ibrahim Halidi, whose candidacy was backed by Azali Assoumani, the outgoing president.

Corruption charges

In 2018 Sambi was charged for planning the Comoros Passport scheme with Bashar Kiwan netting $200 million dollar from the UAE government. In August 2018, Comoros authorities charged former president Ahmed Abdullah Sambi and Bachar Kiwan with corruption, embezzlement of public funds and forgery related to the sales of Comoros passports. Sambi was jailed, and in September 2018 appealed to the Supreme Court to be granted unrestricted access to his lawyer to defend himself in the corruption case. From 21 to 24 November 2022, Ahmed Abdullah Sambi, Bashar Kiwan, Majd Suleiman, and other directors of

Comoro Gulf Holdings Comoro Gulf Holdings (CGH), sometimes referred to as ''Comoros Gulf Holding'' or ''Comoro Gulf Holding'', was an investment company, set up by Syrian businessmen Bachar Kiwan and Majd Suleiman and Kuwaiti businessmen Sheikh Sabah Jaber Mubarak Al ...

, the company that allegedly facilitated the sales, were tried for high treason, embezzlement and money laundering of Comorian public funds allegedly diverted from the economic citizenship program. Prosecutors sought a life sentence for the former president and his accomplices. On 28 November 2022, Sambi was sentenced to life in prison.

Political views

Sambi has been quoted as saying that Comoros is not ready to become an Islamic state, nor will anyone be forced to wear a veil under his presidency. He also promised to fight corruption, create jobs and build better houses for the majority of Comorians living in poverty.

References

External links

News and background information on Sambi
Africa Intelligence.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Sambi, Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed 1958 births Comorian people of Yemeni descent Comorian Sunni Muslims Hadhrami people Living people People from Anjouan Presidents of the Comoros Heads of government who were later imprisoned Politicians convicted of embezzlement People convicted of treason