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Hailu Shawel’s right hand man in DC swindles churchgoers

Posted on , Updated on by Elias Kifle
Mirchaw Sinishaw's Urael Church in DC
Mirchaw Sinishaw’s Urael Church in DC. The two story
house doesn’t look any thing close to a church.

Dissatisfied with Shaleqa Yoseph and Dr Taye, the estranged chairman of Kinijit, Ato Hailu Shawel, is increasingly relying on former Derg cadre Mirchaw Sinishaw to mobilize support for him in the Washington DC area. The main tactic deployed by Guad (or Gudu) Mirchaw to recruit supporters for Ato Hailu is a propaganda campaign on his weekly radio program against the Kinijit delegation led by Wzt. Bertukan Mideksa. His strategy seems to be that for Ato Hailu to be revived, the Kinijit delegation must be politically destroyed through fabricated accusations and propaganda. As a trained, experienced Marxist cadre, he feels he is equipped to do the job.

ER’s Research Unit has been gathering some information about Ato Mirchaw to understand what drives him to wage an all out campaign against the Kinijit delegation. We will have more report later about his other activities and connections, including his close and wide-ranging family ties with high level officials of the Woyanne regime. Here we will focus on his activities in relation to the church he owns.

Yes, Ato Mirchaw Sinishaw owns a church named ‘Urael’ in Washington DC. This is not news, of course. What the ER Research Unit uncovered is that Ato Mirchaw has been collecting money from his congregation for the purpose of buying a building for the church, and his members, mostly elderly ladies, have contributed generously. A few months ago, he announced to the congregation that he bought a building and moved the church to the new address, from the Catholic Church where he was renting a room to run Urael. The building is a two story house, and doesn’t look any thing close to a church. Yet the members did not mind since they thought it is better than renting.

What the members do not know is that Ato Mirchaw has been lying to them. According to the information obtained by ER, the building that is located at 5716 16th Street and currently being used as ‘Urael’ Church is owned by an individual named Ato Berhane N. Abraham. The building was sold to Ato Berhane by Ato Mirchaw as a real estate agent at the price of $886,000.

Mirchaw Sinishaw hold microphone for Hailu Shawel at the Reagan Airport in DC, Sep. 15, 2007
Mirchaw Sinishaw holding a microphone for Hailu Shawel
at the Reagan Airport in DC, Sep. 15, 2007

Contrary to what Ato Mirchaw told the congregation, the building is not owned by the church. It is bought and now owned by Ato Berhane, who turns around and rents the building to Ato Mirchaw to be used as a home for Urael.

Urael’s priest, who is on Ato Mirchaw’s payroll, has been getting suspicious lately and started to ask some questions, such as why the church doesn’t have a board of trustees like the other Ethiopian churches.

Since Ato Mirchaw established Urael church a few years ago, he has branched out from driving a taxi to real estate investments, buying commercial buildings and rental properties. He has also bought a brand new $50,000 Hummer recently.

What is significant about this story is that Ato Mirchaw is Hailu Shawel’s close confidant. He has recently became Ato Hailu’s point person in the Washington DC area. He is a leading member of the 11-man special task force Ato Hailu created last month.

Ato Hailu’s close association with Ato Mirchaw, as well as Shaleqa Yoseph, Ato Moges, Dr Taye and other swindlers — goes to show that he has surrounded himself with incredibly corrupt individuals whose fraudulent activities are not limited to politics.

Yoseph Yazew — diverted and squandered over $1.2 million of Kinijit’s funds.

Moges Brook — diverted to an unknown account at least $60,000 from the Los Angeles chapter of Kinijit.

Taye Woldesemayat — failed to report (or may have pocketed) substantial amount of money and other forms of assistance donated to the Ethiopian Teachers Association from sister associations in Europe.

Ato Hailu Shawel himself is said to be deeply involved in corruption. More on that another time.

33 thoughts on “Hailu Shawel’s right hand man in DC swindles churchgoers”

  1. Here is what we in the Washington DC area can do to get to the bottom of this.Urael as a church is supposed to be tax exempt and anyone can request Mr. Merchaw in writing to see the tax filings and other finincial records of the church. By law he is required to make available all the records up on request. If he refused to do so, we have the legitimate right to report the incidence to IRS and the government will step in.
    In fact, Merchaw by nature is a fraudulent individual and we all can put him away for fraudulent activity, tax evasion, and more.
    Les us organize and rest assured that we can make his pants wet in no time through the court system.
    However, we all talk and do not deliver, worse yest, talk is cheap and let us stand up put away this uneducated, sleazy thug.
    Elias, let us do it right away!!!!!

  3. ምን ትመክሩኛላችሁ ጐበዝ? የአገራችን ህዝብ የዋህ ነው በእግዚአብሔር ስም ከመጡበት አይጨክንም:: አይ ይች ነገር ጥሩ የመኖሪያ ዘዴ ናት:: በቃ የፈለጋችሁን በሉ እኔ የራሴን ቤተክርስቲያን ልጀምር ነው:: በቃ!!

    ስሙን ምን ልበለው? እስኪ ምክር ለግሱኝ እባካችሁ!!

    የእናንተው:
    አለቃ ብሩ

  4. የኔ ጥያቄ እውን አቶ ሃይሉ የሴሜን አሜሪካ ንዋሪ ህዝብ ከቅንጅት ጎን በመሰለፍ ያደረገውን እልህ አስጨራሽ የትግል እንቅስቃሴ ይከታተሉ ነበር:: ከሆነስ እነ ምርጫው ስንሻ የህዝቡን ለማኮላሸት ያደርጉት የነበረውን ሁለገብ ሴራ አልሰሙት ነበር ማለት ይቻላል? አሁንስ ከዚህ ሰውዬ ጋር ለመስራት እንዴት ወሰኑ? ስትታሰሩ ወይም ስትበታተኑ በናንተ /በቅንጅት/ ቦታ ኢትዮጵያዊነት ግንባር የሚባል ፓርቲ ለመተካት ያደረገው ጥረት በጠንካራ የቅንጅት ደጋፊ ተጋድሎ በመክሸፉ አቅጣጫውን ቀይሮ ወደ አቶ ሃይሉ ጉያ ውስጥ መጨጎጡ እንዴት አልገባቸውም? ይህን የአንድ ግለሰብ ሴራ (የአደባባይ ሚስጢር) መረዳት ካልቻሉ እንጅኔሩ እንዴት ብለው ነው ወስብስቡን የወያኔ ሴራ ተቋአቁመው የኢትዮጵያን ህዝብ ትግል ከዳር ሊያደርሱት የሚችሉት? እጅግ ካላሰቡበትና አካሄዳቸውን ካላስተካከሉ እራሳቸውን በራሳቸው እየገደሉ መሆኑን ሊገነዘቡ ይገባል እላለሁ::

  5. What a journalist, Elias what other people says it is a BS. You are a great investigative journalist. We need individuals like you who dig the true and let the public decide. It is great job.

    Thank you Elisa.

  8. Elias,

    I don’t think Eng. Hailu has anything to do with money laundering. Please leave the Eng. alone; believe me I am not happy the way he handled himself for the past couple of months regarding the kinijit crises but accusing him as a crook is way over board. I still have great respect for Eng Hailu and I just hope hope he will come to his senses and drop Taye and co. and join the rest of the Kinijit leaders.

    But you on the other hand pouring more gasoline on the fire. I just do not understand what you are trying to accomplish.

    please give it a rest.

  9. Wow! this sounds like a riot. I was more worried about the kind of feudalistic system At Hailu Shawel was planning to impose on our people. Little I knew that they were also out there to involve in frauds and corruption. It sounds like these are a group of people out to rob Ethiopia once more again. Enouigh is enough. Ethiopia does not have a place for dictator Hailu shawel and his corrupt and outright thief friends.

  10. ER research units seems working hard to dig out what
    those Good for nothing men have been doing. Thanks ER. keep on exposing the evil deads of so called Cadre collabrated with Hailu. Both made a terrible mistake at historic moment!! Let God help ethiopia. The Ethiopian Mandela who would be able to stand for REAL democracy seems yet unborn.

  11. Why there is no one person who tell Ato Hailu about Ato Mirchaw Senesha real politic. Let me tell you Ato Hailu Shawl, He just talk about ethiopiawinet but practically he is anti-Ethiopiawinet.He is anti-Oromo even not anti OLF.If it was anti-OLF that was ok. Everybody who lives in North America knows what he did to Kinijit party and to Oromo individuals because it is not a long time story here in DC. Please, Ato Hailu if you want Ethiopians beside you separet yourself from this poison . Ato Hailu, there is a lot of story about this man( Mirchaw)wake-up and separate yourself from him for your political success.

  12. Addis, Elias is not adding gasoline,he is just telling what he found out as a journalist. We have no right to gag Elias not to tell the truth. Elias will be hold accountable by his readers if he is unable to substanciate his claims. Addis, Elias is fully aware of the consequences of smearing someone’s name based on lies and fabrications. He has always exposed the corruption scandals of Woyane regime officials including Meles. They tried to intimidate him by filing law suit which later they withdrew. I do not understand why Hailu Shawel should be immune from criticizm and scruitny? We run out of patience to tolerate mules like Ato Hailu and his serevants. Elias you are one of a kind! In as lond as your info is based on careful investigation and evidence, you have nothing to fear. Even if You keep quiet, Hailu Shawel is not going to make up his mind, as making peace after a conflict is tantamount to defeat for him-typical of a stubborn Feudal behavior. Ethiopia needs, at this critical time, journalists like you who stand up for what is right.

  13. what is the percentage of the commission Mirchaw Pocketed when selling the house to himself with public money. Someone told me about 30, thousand dollars.

    This criminal thug is shaking our community to its last coin. This is in addition to Thousands of dollars he and Nigussie Woldemariam swindled out of the 250K raised for famine victims in Ethiopia. Why do you think Nigussie gave the radio station to Mirchaw when he went to Addis Ababa for over two months? Has anybody heard Mirchaw utter a word against Nigussie and Nigussie against Mirchaw? NO. This people have burried somone toghether as the saying goes in Ethiopia. Estimates are that they ate nearly 100K between the two of them. Nigussie was the one sent to deliver themoney to the needy. No accounting is made to date about that crime. This idiot has killed our people and us all alive? Thanks elias for this information but lets follow this to its last
    Mitik

  15. If what we hear about Mirchaw is correct he need to face the consequences of his actions. He need to be dealt with. Individuals can not buy/sell property of a Church (a non profit entity). Only the Church thru its board can. Even then a board member can not benefit from any type transactions of the Church. This is a conflict of interest. Surely it appears Mirchas’ actions smells of crime or improprietry. IRS, the DA, and even FBI can get involved and the criminal can face justice.

  16. why would you wait an official letter to eliminate him from the party? He has already eliminated himself at the cost of saving his corrupted old soldiers. It is very unfortunate to see that ethiopia has not got some one to save it even in the 21st century. We have had enough of certified liers, thieves, corrupted and ill minded self appointed rulers all across our history. It is really sad to see that we still are not allowed to choose our leaders!!

  20. የምርጫውና የወያኔ ሚስጢራዊ ግንኙነት —

    -እንዴት እንደተጀመረ

    – መቼ እንደተጀመረ:

    -በማን እንደተጀመረ ዝርዝር ሁኔታውን

    እንደምናቀርብላችሁ ተስፋነያደረግን ለጊዜው የምርጫው ባለቤት ከጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ ባለቤት ጋር ስላላት ግንኙነት ጥናት እያደረአችሁ ጠብቁን:

  21. Thanks Elias for the stellar job you have been doing over the years!

    We all know that Mirchaw, an illiterate Dergue poodle knows nothing about ‘Ethiopiawinet’ if it smacks him on the face. The only thing comrade Mirchaw knows is how to make a quick buck using his God given talents: by killing and underhandedly reporting friends and acquaintance alike to the powers that be, lying, cheating, swindling old women and trash talk. What surprises us all is the fact that a person of Hailu’s stature is in cahoots with hooligans like Mirchaw. Maybe HS feels strong affinity and kinship due to the Dergue connection, otherwise how can we explain this strange and unholy salliance.

    As far as HS is concerned, his career in Ethiopian politics is but OVER! There is no way in hell that Ethiopians will hand over their political future to an arrogant and obstinate mule like Hailu so that he could do whatever he pleases with their future. His actions of the last two months have revealed that he not only does NOT have a vision for Ethiopia, but also blind to his own current predicament. Simply put, he doesn’t even understand the deep shit, he is in today. He is giving out directive after directive that no one bothers to heed and just to mention a few:

    *A comprehensive financial report on Kinijit finances to date that the ShaleQa group contemptuously ignored and he publicly exonerated this group on that fateful Sunday day (October the 14th)by contradicting his own directive.

    *He wants all the monies collected during the current Kinijit delegates tour to NA tour to be kept in the chapters so that it could be handed over to Bermuda (ShaleQa Yoseph and Mogus Brooke -the CUDP financial BLACKHOLE) for safe keeping.

    *He has delegated ChiQaShum Taye with forming a task force God knows to what purpose, but it is apparent now from Dr. Yacob’s complaint that the esteemed chairman is playing spoiler.

    *Instead of waiting for the result of the negotiations between the Ayele Chamiso Group and the task force delegated by the CUDP executive committee headed by w/t Birtukan Mideksa that includes Dr. Yacob Haile Mariam and Brook Kebede, about future ownership and registration license of the CUDP; the deranged chairman has appointed a taskforce of his own consisting of eight CUDP members considered to be his yes men hat have already joined the Meles parliament and oddly enough Dr. Yacob, without his knowledge and/or permission; to wrest the license from Ayele Chamiso, by force if necessary.

    It is apparent from his destructive activities of the last two months that HS is loosing his grip on reality and it is time for him to go.

    Hailu Shawl and his supporters are well advised to savor the joy of the successful surgery and pray that he has got enough backbone to sack Taye Gudu and Mirchaw and return to the fold of true Kinijit.

    Surafel,( former HS supporter)

  23. Hi,

    I always wonder why we easily get cheated by those so called Hager wodad, haymanotegna, sebaki, etc people. It is not only Mirchaw that really fools Ethiopians in the diaspora. There are a lot of them especially in the DC area. I knew a women who makes less than $8.00 an hour, gives $1,500.00 for SILET. Silet is a gift one gives for a sacred entity because that enitity fullfills your wish. (Ene Mirchaw ye DC Wochu yeken jiboch nachew. Lelochim moltewal, yerasachewin addarash eyetekerayu sizerfu yeminoru)

    For howlong are those innocent citizens be cheated by those bad people?

    Scepticu

  24. “A struggle with in a struggle”-ER, what a great job! you are doing out there.I have no objection at all about what these great people @ER are doing.why?
    1)if we don’t do such a background check on individuals such as these,people!, we don’t have to look back 10 years’ history or so ,look at what happened with in the last two year in the diaspora struggle -good people are doing great job and cadres like shaleka are harvesting the fruit of struggle.
    2)These are/kind of people(cadres) are the ones who tied the Ethiopian people during the derg era and gave them to woyane hynas.Because people were tired to the maximum and hoped ,no matter what, a better will come.
    Remember though,don’t be consumed by this events too much,otherwise we will forget the BIG PICTURE(Struggle against woyane),the rest are subsets of that struggle.

  25. Hi Elias, you did an excellent investigation to aware the public from those day robbers, as we all know Engineer Hailu steeped with the mafias and tries to cover and defend them in public. I am saying he himself is one of the instigators for the whole corruption in Shaleka mafia group. Eng. Hailu is a dead meat right now I will never expect him to be as a man of principle. If a leader gets biased by individuals and do not have self reliance how can he be Kinijit’s leader? Never! Kinjit is a disciplined non dictatorial, modern politics and should not have a place for such kind of non confident corrupted individuals. Eng. Hailu is insult the Ethiopian people when he joined the mafias like Shaleqa, and Comrade or Kesis Mirchaw. He should examine with whom he is dealing with. As everyone knows Comrade Mirchaw was a notorious criminal who tortured thousands of our brother and sisters during Colonel Mengestu Hailemariam era. Comrade Mir chaw is a kind of person who does not have any human personality and tries to be significant everywhere but people do not give him attention due to his past and present trash personality. Elias you did your best to know the public who this guy is as you put it he is the owner and president of Ethiopiawinet party, He is the sole owner of Uraell or Raguel Ethiopian orthodox Church and he is the owner and producer of ethiopiawinet radio station. I ask the public this time to go one step ahead and fight this public enemy in the court of justice. There is irreprehensible evidence against him. Those who don’t know who he was check this link you might surprise by learning your children murderer and torturer owning your own congregation. Go to the link:
    http://www.hmbasha.net/ComradeMirchaw.htm

  26. The amazing thing is Eng. Hailu’s behavior in surrounding himself with corrupt and unethical people. I do not think that speaks highly of him. The guy is a looser and I am glad he is not going any where. He is a lot worse than a Woyane, as well stupid the way he has been acting.

    Hailu

  28. Kassa, thank you for the most valuable piece of evidence and most sought-after document, comrade Merchaw’s Communist Part ID. That alone will make him eligible for deportaion for the reason that he falsifying hs asylum request. I know for sure he lied.

  29. Eng. Hailu and Comrade Mirchaw use to work together for Abiyotawi Dergue as a minster(hailu) and as revolutionary guard (mirchaw). so still they need their relation should stay as same as before to play on Ethiopians. Is there any one who can tell me that what Eng. Hailu did for the people of Ethiopia as a minister at that time? not at the end, but at first and middle ages of those days of dergue. I know that mirchaw was running after young boys to catch them for national miltary service.

  31. It is sad that tugs thieves like this guy play their criminal activities for so long with out being exposed.

    What bothers me most is the community gave them free rein as far as opening a church.
    No wonder the ethio. Orthodox Church and the leadership (bishops, priests, deacons) both in side the country and in Diasporas are corrupt. They cannot claim to do the work of the Holy Sprit. Under the cover of the church they collect money and hid it in their deep pocket. Criminals like Merchaw are always welcome in their circle.

    It is the duty and obligation of individual members of the community to expose them and hand them over to the authorities.

    Only then we will be free of these Criminals!!

  32. Let me say some thing .Unless the 1960s generation has passed away we don’t expect any thing from these people both in politics and church so i don’t rely on this none sense and corrupted.Let God arise a new breed generation.

  33. Rules and Regulations

    It will be more interesting how an individual layman such as Mr. Mirchaw Sinishaw was able to establish a church for his communities in Washington, DC. without first asking the blessings of a bishop or an archbishop. In fact, even before the bishop blesses the new church, there are certain rules and regulations that the new church must follow.

    1.In order the church to be a legitimate church, the church must have a thilat (tabot).
    2.The church must have at least five priests to conduct the liturgy every Sunday or any Holy day such as Oriel’s Day.
    3.When the new church opens, a bishop or an archbishop must be there to bless the new church.

    I will be more interested to know if indeed Mr. Mirchaw Sinishaw has the thilat or tabot in his church. If he has, how did he get it? Did he buy it or steal it from one of those unprotected Ethiopian Churches in Ethiopia? He may have easily bribed some of those poor priests with few dollars to get the thilat. Assuming he has the thilat, one can ask: Does the thilat has the Ten Commandments, the pictures of the Three God Heads and the pictures of Mary and her child Jesus Christ engraved on the thilat? Lacking these important Writings and Holy Pictures, the thilat is not a thilat but an idle, and the members of this Church are worshiping an idle without knowing it.

    It seems to me that the history of Mr. Mirchaw Sinishaw has little resemblance with the history of Micah who hired a young Levite from Bethlehem to be his priest and serve his idol, the silver smith made him through the request of Micah’s mother. Later on, of course, six hundred armed Danites on their way to attack Laish came and confiscated Micah’s curved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol. Along with these valuable items, they took also the young priest with them, leaving Micah empty handed (Judges, Chapters 17 and 18). I’m afraid the same thing may happen to Mr. Mirchaw Sinishaw unless he prepares himself very well before such things happen to him and to his family and to the member of his Oriel’s Church.

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