Former Guinean Prime Minister Ibrahima Kassory Fofana has been sentenced to five years in prison for embezzlement, illicit enrichment, and money laundering, the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offenses (Crief) ruled on Thursday.
Fofana, who served as prime minister from May 2018 until Guinea’s September 2021 coup, was found guilty of misappropriating 15 billion Guinean francs ($1.7 million) in public funds.
In addition to his prison sentence, he was fined 2 billion GNF ($231,279) and ordered to pay 3 billion GNF ($346,814) in damages.
The former leader has been in detention since April 2022 but has not appeared in court since the trial began in March 2023 due to health issues.
His legal team was absent at the time of the verdict and has yet to issue a response.
Fofana’s conviction follows the recent sentencing of Amadou Damaro Camara, former president of the National Assembly, who received a four-year prison term from the same court.
The rulings regional governance marks a continued crackdown on corruption in Guinea’s political sphere.
Source: WAVN