Mali’s former finance minister, Bouaré Fily Sissoko, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for her role in a decade-old corruption scandal involving the purchase of a presidential jet and military equipment.
A Bamako court found Sissoko guilty of “damaging public assets” in a case tied to former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s administration. The $40 million deal, made without a competitive bidding process, triggered international condemnation and sanctions in 2014.
Among those sentenced was Moustapha Ben Barka, a former minister and vice-president of the West African Development Bank, who received life imprisonment in absentia. Several other former officials were also handed prison terms.
The transaction, viewed as a symbol of unchecked corruption, led the International Monetary Fund to freeze disbursements to Mali for six months. The affair has since been cited by Mali’s current military rulers to justify their 2021 coup.
The total financial loss to the state remains disputed, with various figures circulating since the investigation began. The scandal has haunted Mali’s political landscape, highlighting deep flaws in governance and transparency.
Sissoko’s lawyer, Tounkara Dianguina, called the ruling “disproportionate,” arguing she was being punished for the actions of others, including deceased officials. “My client is paying for others, especially the dead,” he told AFP following the verdict.
One key figure, former defence minister and later Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, was arrested in 2021 in connection with the deal. He died in prison in 2023, maintaining his innocence until the end.
The verdicts mark a dramatic turn in one of Mali’s most controversial corruption cases, exposing long-standing tensions between past civilian leaders and current military rulers.