Ethiopian authorities have filed criminal charges against a Chinese national accused of conducting unauthorised banking activities that allegedly resulted in the country losing more than 14.5 million US dollars in foreign currency.

The defendant, identified as Ling Chung, is alleged to have coordinated with associates abroad to collect funds from individuals seeking to remit money to Ethiopia. Prosecutors said the transfers were channelled through local accounts without approval from the National Bank of Ethiopia, bypassing formal banking systems.

Court documents indicate that Ling used an account at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia to conduct 1,112 transactions between December 9, 2020 and December 13, 2025, transferring a total of 636.1 million birr to various recipients. Authorities said had the transfers gone through licensed channels, Ethiopia would have earned an estimated 10.49 million US dollars in foreign currency inflows.

In addition, prosecutors said Ling used an account at Abyssinia Bank to execute over 201 transfers between November 19, 2021 and December 13, 2025, moving 233.4 million birr. The activity is alleged to have cost the country another 4.03 million US dollars in lost foreign exchange.

In total, authorities say the suspect facilitated illegal transfers exceeding 839.5 million birr, exposing Ethiopia to substantial forex losses.

The case is being heard at the Federal High Court, Lideta Branch, Second Special Criminal Bench, where Ling has been charged with conducting banking business without a licence, an offence under Banking Business Proclamation No. 1360/2025.

Prosecutors said the alleged activities violated Article 2(6) and Article 90(1) of the proclamation, which prohibit unauthorised deposit-taking and money transfer operations. The court is expected to set a date for the next hearing after reviewing the charge file.