CONAKRY (Reuters) – Guinea’s justice minister on Thursday ordered legal proceedings against former President Alpha Conde and more than 180 officials from his deposed regime for alleged corruption and embezzlement of public funds, according to a public document.
The West African country is run by a military junta that overthrew Conde, 84, in a coup last year. Some opponents of the junta say it is going after Conde’s old allies to prevent them from running in the next elections.
The junta has proposed to hold elections after a 24-month transition period, but has not confirmed when that would start.
In a letter to two attorney generals on Thursday, Justice Minister Charles Wright requested that legal proceedings be initiated against Conde and around 180 former officials for “corruption, embezzlement of public funds, illicit enrichment, money laundering, forgery and complicity.”
Conde is officially in Turkey for medical treatment, but his exact whereabouts are unknown and Reuters was unable to reach out to him to seek comment.
Some officials on the list, including the former prime minister and former president of the national assembly, have already been detained by the junta for months on similar accusations.
Several people on the list are dead, and some names are listed twice.
The junta had ordered legal proceedings against Conde and 26 of his former officials in May over deadly violence surrounding Conde’s disputed bid for a third term in 2020.
(Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Leslie Adler)
