Premier Bank’s Verified Role in Fee Collection
Documentary and digital evidence shows that Premier Bank acted as the main financial collection agent for the Hassan Sheikh Mohamud administration’s E-Visa system. Bank transaction records, payment API data, and website payment redirects confirm that Premier Bank received the visa fees directly on behalf of the administration.
In addition, the administration used an unlicensed third-party retail web store to process and redirect the payments. Both the retail processor and Premier Bank were found to be interlinked through a shared payment gateway, allowing personal and card data to flow between them without encryption or compliance with PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards).
This evidence establishes that the E-Visa system illegally shared applicants’ personal and financial data with private commercial entities not authorised to process or store such information.
Violations of International Financial and Data-Protection Law and unlawful Financial Operations:
The use of a private commercial bank to collect government visa payments directly breaches international banking and anti-money-laundering standards.
Under United Nations Security Council Resolutions 733 (1992) and 1844 (2008), and the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations (31 CFR Part 551), all financial institutions are prohibited from facilitating or transferring funds on behalf of sanctioned or high-risk political administrations linked to instability, corruption, or terrorism.
The UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) also enforces financial prohibitions against unverified Somali governmental activities. The current E-Visa payment structure falls squarely within these definitions, as the money collection was done without authorisation from any recognised international financial authority and in breach of AML (Anti-Money-Laundering) obligations.
