VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKH #0580/01 1200900
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300900Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3673
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC 0068

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000580 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DOJ FOR NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION 
DEPT FOR M, P, L, AF, DS, AF/SPG, CA AND S/CT 
DEPT FOR USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PTER PGOV SU
SUBJECT: APRIL 14 SESSION OF GRANVILLE/ABBAS MURDER TRIAL 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  On April 14, 2009, five U.S. Embassy Foreign 
Service National (FSN) employees from the Regional Security Office, 
Political/Economic and Public Affairs sections attended the trial of 
five Sudanese men accused in the January 1, 2008 murders of USAID 
Officer John Granville and FSN driver Abdelrahman Abbas.  The April 
13 session was cancelled because of the execution of nine Sudanese 
men charged with a high-profile 2006 murder of a prominent 
journalist.  The execution occurred at Kober prison, the same 
facility where the Granville/Abbas murder trial defendants are being 
held.  CID officials informed the RSO that due to security concerns, 
all prisoner transportation requests are denied on the day 
executions are carried out. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The defense only called one witness to testify, a market 
owner who witnessed the arrest of Abd Al-Ra'ouf.  The market owner 
told the court that he had received two threatening phone calls made 
by someone identifying himself as belonging to a Sudanese security 
organization.  The caller told him that he would be arrested if he 
testified for the defense.  After this witness' testimony, the 
defense panel informed the judge that their previous witness, 
Captain Abdorabbo from the Sudanese Military Industrial Corporation, 
had also been arrested after he testified for the defense on April 
¶12.  A representative from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Legal 
Department was present at the session, and requested that the court 
provide one week's notice before another SAF officer is required to 
testify.  While the judge did not address the SAF officer's 
detention, he told the market owner that he would issue an order for 
the police to ensure his protection.  The next trial sessions are 
scheduled for April 22 and 23.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (U) The trial of the five Sudanese men accused of the January 1, 
2008 terrorist murders of USAID Officer John Granville and FSN 
driver Abdelrahman Abbas continued on April 14, 2009.  The April 13 
session was cancelled because of executions being carried out at 
Kober Prison where the defendants are being held.  The prosecution 
was represented by Chair Mohamed Mustafa Musa, Juma Al Wakul 
Al-Asir, and Granville family attorney Taha Ibrahim.  Abbas family 
attorney, Ismail Abu Sugra, was absent.  Neither the Defense Chair 
nor the Deputy Chair was present.  The Defense was represented by 
Ahmed Abu Agla, Jamal Altahir, and Wajdi Salih. 
 
¶4.  (U) The defense called Abbas Ahmed Abbas, a 39 year-old merchant 
who owns a food market at Fitihaib Square #8 in Omdurman.  Abbas 
testified that he saw Abd Al-Ra'ouf walking near his market when 
three men approached Abd Al-Ra'ouf, grabbed his arm, twisted it 
behind his back, and pushed him to the ground.  One of the men 
approached Abbas and asked permission to bring Abd Al-Ra'ouf inside 
his market.  Abbas said it was clear to him that the men were 
National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) officers and not a 
criminal gang.  The security men were soon joined by two additional 
officers armed with AK-47s.  Abbas said the senior-ranking security 
officer wore a white jalabiya, the next in command was dressed in a 
safari suit, and the three remaining men wore ordinary shirts and 
trousers.  Abbas said he could tell who was in charge by listening 
to the conversation among the security team.  The man dressed in the 
white jalabiya told the two men with AK-47s to step inside the shop 
and to hide their weapons. . 
 
¶5.  (U) Abbas said the NISS officers took Abd Al-Ra'ouf's phone from 
him and asked him repeatedly, "Where did this group drop you?  Where 
were they taking you?"  At first Abd Al-Ra'ouf would not reply, but 
according to Abbas he eventually told the NISS officers, "These 
people dropped me here, but I do not know them, and I do not have 
their telephone numbers." One of the men armed with an AK-47 pulled 
out a pistol and held it to Abd Al-Ra'ouf's head.  Another grabbed 
Abd Al-Ra'ouf's chin, raised him off the ground by his jaw, and then 
dropped him back down.  He began slapping Abd Al-Ra'ouf in the face, 
before another NISS officer pulled him off, and said, "Don't slap 
him.  We know how to make him talk." 
 
¶6.  (U) Abbas testified the NISS officers drove their vehicles 
behind his market and led Abd Al-Ra'ouf out the rear of his shop to 
a Toyota Hilux double-cabin pick-up truck with tinted windows. 
 
¶7.  (U) After relaying his observations of Abd Al-Ra'ouf's arrest, 
Abbas told the court that three days earlier an unnamed attorney and 
Abd Al-Ra'ouf's brother came to visit him at his market.  The 
attorney asked Abbas if he was willing to be a defense witness.  The 
following day around 3:00 p.m., Abd Al-Ra'ouf's brother delivered 
the court paper requiring Abbas to testify on April 13 for Abbas' 
signature.  At approximately 6:00 p.m., three hours after Abd 
Al-Ra'ouf's brother departed, Abbas said he received a call from an 
unknown person.  The caller said, "Look, are you going to be a 
witness for these people? How much did they pay you? I am from a 
security organization.  I know you are a good man from Shendi.  You 
are a Jaali (Arab tribe in northern Sudan.)  Do not get involved in 
this case.  If you testify we will come after you immediately." 
 
¶8.  (U) Abbas testified that he did not realize the April 13 session 
had been cancelled until after he went to the courthouse.  After he 
returned home, Abbas received a call from the same individual who 
said to him, "We are following you, and we know you went to the 
courthouse today." 
 
¶9.  (U) Judge al-Badri told Abbas that he would immediately issue a 
notice to all Sudanese security organizations instructing them to 
ensure his protection.  Abbas told the judge that he was not an 
associate of Abd Al-Ra'ouf, had never seen him before the arrest, 
and had no contact with him afterwards.  The judge assured Abbas 
that no harm would be done to him. 
 
¶10.  (U) At the conclusion of Abbas' testimony, an officer with the 
rank of major from the SAF Legal Department approached the bench, 
and asked the judge to provide SAF a one week notice before calling 
any other SAF officer to testify before the court.  Defense Attorney 
Wajdi Salih objected.  Wajdi told Judge al-Badri that if Captain 
Mohammed Abdelgader Abdorabo was present at the courthouse then the 
defense would like to continue with his testimony.  Wajdi also told 
the judge that he received a call from one of Captain Abdorabo's 
family members who said Abdorabo was arrested immediately after 
testifying for the defense at the last session, and had been held 
until midnight on the night of April 12.  He was allowed to return 
home for the evening, but was required to report at 6:00 a.m. the 
following morning to be confined to quarters again for the entire 
day.  The prosecution panel told the defense that if they needed a 
SAF officer's testimony in the future, they should send  a written 
request to their legal department. 
 
¶11.  (U) Judge al-Badri adjourned the trial until its next sessions 
on April 22 and 23. 
 
FERNANDEZ