Guinea’s anti-corruption court has begun hearing Mohamed Diane’s appeal. Diane, a former defence minister under ex-president Alpha Conde, is seeking to overturn a five-year prison sentence for embezzlement.
Diane, a key figure in Conde’s administration from 2015 to 2021, was convicted in December of embezzlement, illicit enrichment, money laundering, and corruption of public officials. He has been detained since 2022 and continues to deny all charges, arguing that his conviction was based on “vague, unsubstantiated allegations” and lacked legal merit.
The appeal is being heard by the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences (CRIEF), an anti-graft tribunal established by Guinea’s military rulers after they ousted Conde in 2021. Diane has refused to submit to questioning by CRIEF and insists the case against him is riddled with “flagrant irregularities.”
His appeal follows the conviction of former Prime Minister Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, who was sentenced to five years for embezzling $1.7 million intended for COVID-19 relief efforts. The military junta, which seized power in 2021, has pledged to tackle widespread corruption, launching legal proceedings against more than 180 former officials and ministers in late 2022.
