13:17 ET<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nSomalia has pardoned three Britons caught illegally bringing more than $3m (\u00a32m) in cash into the country to pay a ransom to Somali pirates.<\/p>\n
The three of them, together with an American and two Kenyans, were arrested on 24 May shortly after flying into Mogadishu airport with the money.<\/p>\n
All six, who have not been officially named, were sentenced to jail but the president has since pardoned them.<\/p>\n
The group has left Somalia without the money which the government confiscated.<\/p>\n
They were also told to pay $100,000 (\u00a362,000) to get their planes released.<\/p>\n
The Foreign Office has not commented on the pardons.<\/p>\n
Cash retained<\/span><\/p>\nGovernment spokesman Abdirahman Omar Osman said: “Because of their illegal arrival, the two planes were each fined $50,000 [\u00a331,000]. And the $3.6m in cash has been taken by the government.”<\/p>\n
The two men accused of carrying the cash received 15-year sentences and were also fined $15,000 (\u00a39,000) each.<\/p>\n
The other four men – two pilots and their assistants – received 10-year sentences and fines of $10,000 (\u00a36,000).<\/p>\n
On Sunday however, President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, of the interim government, pardoned all six men.<\/p>\n
This was the first time Westerners have been sentenced for involvement in delivering ransoms.<\/p>\n
The Somali government officially opposes the payment of ransoms but the practice has become routine. It is not clear why this group of men fell foul of the authorities.<\/p>\n
The BBC’s East Africa correspondent Will Ross said: “Almost all the ships to have been held by Somali pirates have only been released after the payment of a hefty ransom – often several million dollars.”<\/p>\n
He said ransoms were usually air-dropped onto hijacked ships by secretive security firms.<\/p>\n
“One government minister said the episode was proof that westerners were fuelling the piracy off the Somali coast,” he added.<\/p>\n
The UN says more than $110m in ransoms were paid to Somali pirates last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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