Tens of thousands of Yemeni people rallied on Friday to demand the recovery of funds which were stolen by the former regime.The rallies in key cities including the capital Sanaa urged the new president and government to form a special panel to recover the public funds squandered by the ex-leader President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...
and his aides over the past 33 years.
In Sanaa, the preacher in Street 60th called on foreign countries, especially the ten countries sponsoring the power-transfer deal, to help Yemen get back billions of US dollars and invest that abroad in the best interest of the Yemeni people.
The GCC countries brokered the transition deal, that was backed by the West, after the mass protests against the former regime in 2011. Under the deal, the former president, Saleh, and his aides were granted immunity from prosecution in return for relinquishing power.
Last week, activists and lawyers formed Yemen's national body to recover the public funds, which were looted by the former regime.
Some of the founders said the former regime had stolen about $70 billion during more than 33 years and that the immunity granted to Saleh and former officials under the deal did not extend to looting the public funds or financial corruption.
The immunity was only given for political and criminal purposes, while stealing the public funds remains a civil issue that the immunity has nothing to do with, they said, pointing out some world agencies and countries have already voiced their readiness to support the body on its mission.