Recent conflict suggests that a man by the name of Sidi Mohamed Omar is currently under surveillance for conducting fraudulent activities, conning others into believing that he is a representative of the Polisario Front to the United Nations in New York.
Further investigation unveils that Omar holds bad relations with representatives of the Polisario Front, as he is often criticized and treated as “mediocre”. Nonetheless, he continues to proclaim himself as the executive leader of the organization.
As far as we know, United Nations never granted accreditation to Omar for the benefit of the Polisario. On top of that, Omar was never sighted carrying any access badge in the name of Polisario when entering the United Nations premises; oftentimes, Omar accesses the buildings using badges from foreign delegations – further adding to the controversy.
This grew into further speculations on the funds collected for the sequestered people of Tindouf, as Omar lives a luxurious, almost-permanent vacation lifestyle in the USA and Spain, where he spends most of his time with his family.
Additionally, it was also believed that Omar has obtained financial aid from the Church, as well as European and American NGOs, however, there has yet to be any evidence that the Sahrawis benefitted from these funds. This further adds to the speculations that the funds were embezzled.
This leads the public to believe that negotiating a political solution surrounding the question of the Sahara is the least of Omar’s concerns, while further arousing suspicions that he is continuously benefitting financially and materially from this conflict. As the controversy builds, the public is expecting a formal response from Omar, together with evidence that explains the whereabouts of the funds acquired.
Learning from such events, Malaysians are to take precautions and be aware of similar frauds that might occur. Capitalizing on scandalous activities in the middle of a crisis results in further suffering that must be endured by the people, thus, taking these possibilities into account can help in the near future. Scams can occur at any scale – affecting one person, to one million people; either way, it is not to be taken lightly.
