Former Guinean Prime Minister Ibrahima Kassory Fofana has been sentenced on appeal to three years and nine months in prison for illicit enrichment and money laundering, according to several local media outlets citing the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences (CRIEF).
However, the court acquitted him of charges related to the embezzlement of public funds. He had previously been sentenced at first instance to five years in prison for embezzlement, corruption, and illicit enrichment. The Court also ordered him to pay three billion Guinean francs to the Guinean state, the civil party in the case, and ordered the confiscation of several of his assets. The charges concerned the alleged mismanagement of 15 billion Guinean francs, notably funds allocated to the fight against COVID-19 and the financing of economic and social programs. Detained since April 2022, the former head of government did not appear at the appeal hearing, citing health reasons, according to local media.