By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A once highly influential Defence Minister in Guinea, Mohamed Diané, has been sentenced to a five-year jail term for corruption, illicit enrichment, embezzlement, and money laundering.
The court also ordered him to pay a fine of $58.5m (£46m) and ruled for the seizure of his property in the capital, Conakry, and the eastern city of Kankan. Additionally, his bank accounts will be frozen.
According to the judge, the former minister failed to provide satisfactory explanations for how his assets were acquired.
Diané served as Defence Minister from 2015 to 2021 under President Alpha Condé, before the army seized power.
He has been in detention since 2022, when the military junta launched an anti-corruption campaign.
After overthrowing the democratically elected government, the military leadership cited fighting corruption as one of its top priorities for the West African nation. As part of this effort, it established an anti-corruption court.
In 2022, the military leaders called for the prosecution of over 180 individuals, including ex-ministers and other officials accused of corruption.
Before this, the junta had also initiated legal action against former President Condé.
Gen Doumbouya, the junta leader, has previously assured that there would be no “witch hunt” against the former government.
The junta initially proposed a two-year transition to democratic elections starting in 2022, following negotiations with the West African regional bloc ECOWAS. This promised period concludes this year.
However, there is no indication of significant progress towards organising an election. The junta has insisted on adopting a draft constitution as a prerequisite for elections.
In July, it presented a draft constitution that could potentially allow Gen Doumbouya to contest the presidency in the yet-to-be-announced elections.
