A special court in Guinea has sentenced the former prime minister to five years in prison after being found guilty of corruption and misappropriation of public funds.
Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, former prime minister in the government of former president Alpha Condé, was also fined two billion Guinean francs ($230,000). His sentence was announced on Thursday, in the capital city of Conakry.
The court found Fofana to have embezzled about 15 billion Guinean francs ($1.7 million) from the previous government’s social welfare programs, which were part of efforts to deal with the COVID-19 epidemic.
He is one of the many officials who were part of the overthrown government of Condé, which the court is following in particular since the military took control of the country.
Fofana served as prime minister between May 2018 and September 2021, when the military seized power. He was arrested in April 2022 on charges of corruption and has been in prison ever since.
Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, the head of the military junta, took power in 2021, criticizing the previous government for reneging on its promises.
He promised to eradicate bad governance and corruption from the country. However, human rights groups have warned that freedoms and opposition are being suppressed.
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