Dozens of former officials who served in the administration of deposed former Guinean President Alpha Conde have been barred from leaving the country.
The officials, 37 of them, face charges of “corruption, money laundering, embezzlement of public funds and illicit enrichment,” according to the office of the Special Prosecutor in the Court of Repression of Economic and Financial Offenses (Crief).
Crief was established by the military junta which currently runs Guinea as part of its effort to recover illegally acquired state resources from corrupt officials who served in previous administrations.
Conde, who served as president of Guinea from 2010 to 2021 when he was ousted in a coup by Col. Mamady Doumbouya, is presently in the United Arab Emirates, where he is undergoing medical treatment after been cleared by the junta.
On Sunday a document detailing the names of the 37 people surfaced on social media, confirming weeks of rumors of the ban on the former officials. Among those on the list is former Prime Minister Ibrahim Kassory Fofana, who was recently named as interim head of Conde’s party, the Rally of the Guinean People, known by its French acronym, RPG. He is expected to contest the presidency in the next election.
Also on the list is Mohamed Diane, who served as Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Minister of Defence, as well as former Minister of Security, Albert Damantang Camara.
All those on the list either served as ministers or held top positions in the administration of the ousted president between 2010 and September 2021. The document is dated 17th March, suggesting that it had long been prepared.
The Special Prosecutor, Aly Touré, was quoted saying that the move to bar the former officials was necessary after intelligence suggested that they could leave the country, noting that their presence on Guinean soil is crucial for ongoing investigations.
The request from the prosecutor’s office was specifically directed at the head of the country’s airport, who was ordered to ensure that none of the listed former officials leave the country.
Doumbouya’s CNRD junta justified its September 5 coup by accusing the Conde regime of corruption and maladministration.
The former Special Forces Commander who has since been named Transition President has promised to conduct democratic election and hand over power to a civilian administration, but he has failed to provide any timetable for this.
ECOWAS last month ordered his transition administration to provide an acceptable timetable or face sanctions.
