There is particular irony in seeing the former guardian of the Constitution answer questions about the management of his own institution’s accounts.
Mohamed Lamine Bangoura, former president of Guinea’s Constitutional Court, is being tried before the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences, known as the CRIEF, in the case commonly described as the 20-billion-franc affair.
Detained in Conakry since late 2022, he saw a request for provisional release rejected before the trial entered its decisive phase.
Prosecutors requested a ten-year prison sentence, a fine of 50 billion Guinean francs and confiscation of assets. Those requests are not a verdict. The court must assess the evidence, the defence arguments and the legal characterisation of the alleged conduct.
The case concerns the use and justification of funds connected to the Constitutional Court. It therefore combines alleged financial wrongdoing with the symbolic damage created when a senior judicial institution is itself drawn into a corruption trial.
The CRIEF was established to handle major economic and financial crime cases in Guinea. Its proceedings have attracted attention both for the scale of the allegations and for debates over judicial independence and due process.
Bangoura remains entitled to the presumption of innocence until a final judgment. The court’s decision will determine whether the prosecution’s account is accepted and what sanctions, if any, are imposed.
The former guardian of constitutional order is now waiting for another court to decide whether his own accounting respected the rule of law.
Key points
- Mohamed Lamine Bangoura is on trial before the CRIEF.
- The case concerns an alleged 20 billion Guinean francs.
- Prosecutors requested ten years’ imprisonment.
- They also requested a 50-billion-franc fine and asset confiscation.
- The requests are not a judgment; the presumption of innocence remains.
Magouilles & Compagnie verdict
Provisional verdict: the Constitution may be supreme, but apparently the supporting documents still need to be filed.
⚖ Your verdict Live
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❓ FAQ
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No. The article reports public information from the cited sources. The suspicions, investigations or proceedings mentioned do not amount to guilt. The presumption of innocence applies.
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