Sudanese throughout the world: Reclaim Sudan House in London

Since the independence of Sudan the House  of Sudan in London was an important meeting
place for all Sudanese.  The house was
used for social occasions, provided accommodation  and a  venue for all Sudanese national and religious
celebrations. Everyone was proud of this facility which is located in the heart
of London, 31 – 32  Rutland Gate SW7 near
Harrods.



However the corrupt mentality of the
Bashir regime decided overnight, for reasons beyond our comprehension,  to sell this major national asset in return
for a fist full of dollars, in total disregard for  the significance and importance of this house
for all Sudanese.



One of Bashir’s financial gangs went
ahead with the sale in total secrecy and without any advertisement or
announcement. This is symptomatic of the way in which the regime dealt with
numerous Sudanese assets and institutions.



The gang then registered the buyer as an
offshore company which they own and nobody knows of any business transacted by
that offshore company except for the ownership of this house. Their plan is to
keep the house in its current state in the hope that their criminal dealings
will not come to the attention of the community. They will then sell the house
and make a huge profit which will be stashed away in their coffers.



The house was purchased for a mediocre
£16 million whereas a nearby similar property in the same street, also with 40
rooms, which belonged to the late Rafiq Al Hariri and was subsequently sold to
the late Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz Al Saud  fetched  £315m according to press reports. Sudan House
was sold for only five percent of its real value.



We
implore all Sudanese who are devastated by this corruption to raise
their voice and declare their rejection of this corruption which is an open
theft. The house has to be reclaimed by the Sudanese community in particular
members of the  Sudanese National
Assembly and participants in the National Dialogue Forum.



We admire Britain’s stance of fighting
corruption and we   appeal to the
honourable British government to intervene and overturn this corrupt
transaction.



A national committee has been formed
with the purpose of reclaiming the house – whatever that costs, as it is an
asset for Sudan and the Sudanese.  The
committee appeals to all Sudanese to sign this petition to confirm to Bashir’s
regime that they reject this transaction and that they will not keep silent
about what this gang is doing.



Committee to Reclaim Sudan House

London October 2015