Sudan's toppled president Omar al-Bashir charged with corruption

Al-Bashir was arrested in a military coup on April 11 after months of mass protests against his autocratic rule.

Bashir had already been charged in May with incitement and involvement in the killing of protesters [File- Burhan Ozbilici/AP]

Sudan's public prosecutor has charged jailed former President Omar al-Bashir with corruption, according to state media.

Al-Bashir was overthrown and arrested in a coup by the military on April 11 after months of mass protests against his 30-year autocratic rule.

The SUNA news agency on Thursday quoted an official source as saying that al-Bashir "had been charged under foreign exchange possession materials, the heinous and suspicious wealth and emergency orders".

Prosecutors had also ordered his interrogation on suspicion of money laundering and financing terrorism.

"This is a difficult move for the generals running Sudan, because this is the same individual they served for a significant period of time," Awol Allo, senior lecturer in law at Keele University, told Al Jazeera.

"They enabled his government, they fought on his behalf. And now, for the same political order to turn around and hold this individual accountable is the thing that makes this difficult," he added.

Eric Reeves, a Sudan researcher at Cambridge University, said he doubted that there would be an open trial because al-Bashir "can point to any number of members of the current transitional military council and to their crimes". 

He told Al Jazeera: "The reason al-Bashir is been charged with corruption is because the transitional military council is trying to deflect attention from its own corruption. The more they can deflect blame onto al-Bashir and declare they are the new day, the more that it becomes possible for them to imagine creating a permanent military junta."