A group of Guinean opposition leaders has filed a lawsuit in France accusing President Alpha Conde and other members of his government of corruption, money laundering and influence-peddling reported Africa News.
In a press conference, the lawyer for the Collective for Change in Guinea (CTG), said the complaint has been filed with the French national financial prosecutor, Jean-Baptiste Soufron.
The complaint was made amid speculation that the ruling party will nominate Conde for the upcoming presidential election- a scenario that has sparked fierce protests in the West African country. The Rally of the Guinean People is expected to announce its presidential candidate for October’s election at a convention this week. Conde has already served two terms, beginning in 2010.
“The complaint targets a range of activities which have taken place since 2012-13, partly in Paris and partly in Guinea, and which support concerns about corruption benefitting Alpha Conde, his son Mohamed Conde, but also Defence Minister Mohamed Diane,” Soufron said of the lawsuit.
The complaint pinpoints the links between the current regime and an international consortium which bought bauxite mining rights near the city of Boké in west Guinea. According to the CTG, the concession was first awarded to a French company called ARM, set up in 2015, which then sold the rights to a French-Chinese-Singaporean consortium for 171mn euros ($201mn).
A presidential official has rejected the claims made by the CTG, describing them as pure slander. The official added that the allegations had been timed because of the approaching presidential election.
The Guinean opposition group has been organizing demonstrations since last year against President Conde’s candidacy for a third term.
Ibrahim Sorel Keita, the spokesperson of the opposition group, said it was important to communicate their claims to the public. He said it was the best time to wake up Guineans and make them discover the reality of the financial practices of Conde’s regime.
