A former prime minister and three ministers of deposed Guinean President Alpha Conde were charged Wednesday with the alleged embezzlement of public funds and jailed.
Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, Prime Minister from May 2018 until the September 2021 coup, former Defence Minister Mohamed Diané, Environment Minister Oyé Guilavogui and Hydrocarbons Minister Zakaria Coulibaly were placed under arrest in Conakry. On Monday, they will be tried by a chamber of the Court of Repression of Economic and Financial Offences (CRIEF), set up by the military that deposed President Condé.
"We understand that we are dealing with an expeditious and punitive procedure," one of the minister's lawyers said. "We are outraged at the injustice and humiliation inflicted on our clients by sending them to prison," he added. The four men, former regime figures and members or supporters of the then-dominant party, were questioned on Monday by gendarmerie investigators before being taken to the CRIEF.
They are the latest high-profile figures to be called to account since the military took over the country's rule, which was ruled for decades by authoritarian regimes and is accustomed to political turmoil.
Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who overthrew Mr. Conde with his men and has since been president, promised to rebuild a state plagued by divisions and rampant corruption. He assured that there would be no "witch hunt" but proclaimed the fight against corruption as his primary mission.
Since the beginning of Doumbouya's presidency in October 2021, numerous politicians have been jailed or put under investigation. Former Budget Minister Ismaël Dioubaté was convicted of corruption. Former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo found himself under investigation for "corruption and illicit enrichment." An opposition party leader, Sidya Touré, was evicted from his home under a policy of recovering property that the junta says belongs to the state, and the list goes on.
The military takeover was welcomed by a population exasperated by the poverty, corruption and repression of President Conde's last years. But seven months on, dissenting voices are beginning to be heard. Dozens of parties expressed their suspicions in a written statement, saying that the authorities sought to "discredit and humiliate" their leaders and were using the CRIEF "to disqualify troublesome political leaders".
Colonel Doumbouya has not yet said when he intends to honor his commitment to hand over power to elected civilians.
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