Mohamed Lamine Bangoura was convicted of corruption, illicit enrichment, money laundering and embezzling more than $20 million in public funds.

Conakry, Guinea — Guinea’s former Constitutional Court president, Mohamed Lamine Bangoura, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of corruption, illicit enrichment, money laundering and embezzling more than $20 million in public funds.

The Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences (CRIEF) found Bangoura guilty of financial misconduct involving money allocated to the Constitutional Court during his time as head of the institution.

The court also imposed a fine of two billion Guinean francs, ordered the confiscation of his assets in Guinea and Senegal, and barred him from holding public office for five years.

Bangoura, who has been detained since December 2022, denied the allegations and had asked the court to acquit him.

Guinea Court Orders Asset Seizure and Financial Penalties

The conviction follows proceedings examining the management of public funds allocated to Guinea’s Constitutional Court under Bangoura’s leadership.

CRIEF ruled that the former court president was responsible for financial offences involving more than $20 million.

In addition to his prison sentence, Bangoura was ordered to pay a substantial fine and surrender assets held in Guinea and neighbouring Senegal.

Two other defendants, who remain fugitives, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The court also ordered Bangoura and his two co-defendants to jointly pay 41 billion Guinean francs in damages to the Guinean state.

Mohamed Lamine Bangoura Among Former Officials Investigated

Bangoura’s prosecution is part of a wider series of financial crime investigations targeting officials who served under former President Alpha Condé.

Guinea’s military authorities established CRIEF after the September 2021 coup that removed Condé from power.

The court was created to investigate and prosecute allegations of corruption, embezzlement and other economic offences involving public officials.

Bangoura is among approximately 180 senior officials and former ministers from Condé’s administration who have faced financial crime investigations.

His conviction marks another significant case brought before the specialised court since its establishment.

Guinea’s Anti-Corruption Campaign Faces Political Scrutiny

Guinea’s military-led government, headed by President Mamady Doumbouya, has presented its anti-corruption campaign as an effort to recover public funds and hold former officials accountable.

The prosecutions have included investigations into alleged financial misconduct under Condé’s administration.

However, critics have accused the authorities of using the justice system to target political opponents and dissenting voices.

The government has maintained its focus on pursuing alleged corruption involving former public officials.

Bangoura’s conviction comes as Guinea continues to confront questions over accountability, judicial independence and the political direction of the country following the 2021 military takeover.