Bereket Simon ( ti, በረከት ስምኦን; born 1960s) is an Ethiopian politician who had served as Communications Minister for the ruling
(EPRDF), of which he was a founding member. He underwent medical treatment in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
financed by the billionaire Mohammed Alamudin. He was a close friend of former prime minister
Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres (Tigrinya and ; , born Legesse Zenawi Asres; 9 May 1955 – 20 August 2012) was an Ethiopian soldier and politician who served as President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and then Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1995 until his ...
since their University days. He was widely considered as Meles Zenawi's right-hand man.
Personal life
Bereket was born in
Dabat
Dabat ( Amharic: ዳባት) is a town in northern Ethiopia, located about 50 kilometers north of Gondar in the Semien Mountains along the Gondar-Debarq highway Dabat it is in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, and is one of two towns in ...
to an
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
n family.
As he was in high school in 1978,
he was likely born in the 1960s.
Legal issues
On 23 January 2019, Bereket was arrested by the
Amhara Region government in relation to
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
along with Tadesse Kassa, a civil servant. On 8 May 2020, Bereket was convicted of corruption and sentenced to six years of prison. Tadesse Kassa, a former TIRET Corporation board member, was also convicted. However, after serving probation in prison located in
Bahir Dar
Bahir Dar ( amh, ባሕር ዳር, 3=sea shore) is the capital city of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Bahir Dar is one of the leading tourist destinations in Ethiopia, with a variety of attractions in the nearby Lake Tana and Blue Nile river. The ci ...
, the government released him on account of parole on 25 January 2023. According to his defense lawyer Hiwot Lilay, Bereket should be released in September 2022 for his one-third of jail term in accordance with the regional law, despite having no opportunity to him.
References
External links
Walta information Interview with SimonBereket Simon Writes a Book on the Past Two Elections
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front politicians
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
{{Ethiopia-politician-stub