Yemeni Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Obaid bin Dagher expressed his direct and deep regret on coup militias having unwarrantedly taken over YR 300 billion in customs, taxes and excesses. Profits of telecommunications, tobacco, cigarettes and cement factories were exploited as well.

Militants fighting in a Houthi-led coup aligned with ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh loyalists, have extorted the money out of institutional officials and directors by means of terror and enforce them to hand over revenues worth billions.

In a statement reported by the official Yemeni news agency, PM Dagher accused rebels of terrorizing the private industrial and service sectors, forcing fees. Most of the funds, once acquired, are directed to coup military efforts covering war expenses and prolonging the war.

Dagher stressed that it is time the government dispenses the payment of staff salaries, in all parts of the republic, and that these funds are placed under the legitimate government authority or allocated to the payment of the salaries of some government facilities, in the areas controlled by the coup leaders.

However, he highlighted that leaving these funds under the militias control, will further damage people’s lives, as such situation allows for them to procure even more arms.

PM Dagher called on putschists to put an end to the illegal and illegitimate seizure of the central bank branch, in Sana’a and allow it to operate properly, under the leadership of the new bank governor Munassar Al-Qu’aiti and its new board of directors.