Former Guinea Constitutional Court President Sentenced to Seven Years for Corruption

The former president of Guinea’s Constitutional Court, Mohamed Lamine Bangoura, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday. This ruling comes from a special court that is investigating nearly 200 officials from the previous government for corruption.

Bangoura was found guilty of several charges, including illicit enrichment, corruption, embezzlement of public funds, and money laundering. These charges relate to how money was managed for the Constitutional Court. He is one of about 180 officials targeted since November 2022.

Bangoura’s conviction follows a military coup in 2021 that removed former President Alpha Conde from power. The current leader, Mamady Doumbouya, initially took charge as a military ruler and was later elected president in a vote that lacked significant opposition.

After the coup, a special court for financial crimes was established, which issued Bangoura’s sentence. In addition to his prison time, Bangoura was ordered to pay a fine of two billion Guinean francs, which is about $225,000. The court also decided to confiscate his assets in Guinea and Senegal.

Two other defendants involved in the case, who are currently on the run, received ten-year prison sentences and were fined five billion Guinean francs each. Together, all three men must pay a total of 41 billion Guinean francs to the state.

Bangoura has been in detention since December 2022 and has denied the charges against him. His defense team has argued for his acquittal. Meanwhile, Guinea’s opposition has criticized the current government for suppressing freedoms and misusing the judicial system under Doumbouya.