A court in Mali has sentenced the country’s former intelligence chief to 15 years in prison for ‘conspiracy against the government’. Colonel Kassoum Goita was accused of attempting to destabilise the state institutions and plotting against the ruling junta.
During the 10-day trial, Colonel Goita denied the charges and accused the ruling authorities of corruption and torture. He was found guilty of conspiracy and plotting against the government.
Colonel Goita was involved in the 2020 military coup that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. He was appointed as the head of the country’s internal intelligence agency during the transitional government that followed the coup.
Background
After the coup, Colonel Goita was removed from his position when the military leader, Colonel Assimi Goita, seized power for the second time in 2021 and declared himself the interim president. The prosecutor had requested a 20-year prison sentence for Colonel Goita and five other defendants.
All six defendants denied the charges, but were sentenced to between 7 and 15 years in prison. Colonel Goita’s sentencing is the latest development in the ongoing political instability in Mali.
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