Fofana was convicted of embezzling up to 15 billion Guinean francs ($1.7 million) in public funds from some of the past government’s social welfare programs, including during the COVID-19 pandemic
A special court in Guinea has sentenced the country’s former prime minister to five years in prison after finding him guilty of corruption and embezzlement of public funds.
Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, who was prime minister in the government of former President Alpha Condé, was also fined 2 billion Guinean francs ($230,000) during his sentencing on Thursday in the capital of Conakry.
Fofana was convicted of embezzling up to 15 billion Guinean francs ($1.7 million) in public funds from some of the past government’s social welfare programs, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is one of many officials from the deposed Condé administration being prosecuted by the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offenses, a special court set up after Guinea’s junta came to power.
He was prime minister from May 2018 till September 2021, when the military took over power, and has been detained since April 2022 following his arrest on corruption charges.
Fofana denied the charges, which his lawyers described as a witch hunt. His yearslong trial was slowed as his health deteriorated. He asked for permission to travel abroad for medical treatment, but the request was repeatedly denied.
Guinea is one of several West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken over power and delayed a return to civilian rule.
Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, the junta leader, overthrew the president in 2021, chastising the previous government for breaking promises while promising to rid the country of bad governance and corruption. However, rights activists have warned of a growing clampdown on critics and freedoms.
Putin hosts Guinea-Bissau leader
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin hosted Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo for talks in the Kremlin on Wednesday, the latest sign of a drive by Moscow to build up economic and security relationships with countries in west and central Africa.
State TV showed Russian metals tycoon Oleg Deripaska was present at the talks between the two leaders. Russian and Portuguese news outlets have quoted a Guinea-Bissau minister as saying Russian aluminium company Rusal is interested in building a railway and port in the country and exploring for bauxite.
Embalo took office in 2020 and his term expires this year, although there is a dispute with the opposition over the timing of the next election. The opposition has vowed to bring the country to a standstill on Thursday in the row which centres on when Embalo’s mandate runs out.
Embalo has said there have been two attempts to overthrow him, the most recent in December 2023. After that incident, which involved gunfire and clashes in the capital, he dissolved the opposition-controlled parliament, accusing it of passivity.
Russia has built security ties in recent years with a series of African countries, sending thousands of mercenaries to support military leaders and help them fight insurgents. It was not clear if any such deals were on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting.
For Moscow, the assignments are a way to make money from government fees and economic opportunities in mining or energy, while eroding the influence in the region of former colonial powers, particularly France. Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese colony that gained independence in 1974.
