APA- Conakry (Guinea) On Monday, the President of Guinea’s transitional government, General Mamadi Doumbouya dissolved the government led by Bernard Goumou.
The decision came amid an internal tug-of-war between the prime minister and his justice minister, Alphonse Charles Wright. Their exchange of letters was a key turning point.
Details of the exchange were obtained by the APA and reveal the growing tension between the two senior officials.
By Aboubacar Siddy Diallo
It all started on 13 February. In a letter to Alphonse Charles Wright, Minister of State, Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Guinea’s Prime Minister Bernard Goumou expressed concern about recent orders to open investigations into the financial management of public institutions.
A few days ago, the Minister of Justice asked the Conakry Public Prosecutor’s Office to initiate legal proceedings against some thirty managers responsible for the management of public finances within the departments, on charges of forgery and the use of falsified public documents. He accused them of having prepared accounting documents to justify expenditure linked to the implementation of the budgets allocated to their departments.
Goumou began by highlighting the role of the heads of financial departments (DAF) and the managing directors of public administrative establishments (EPA), pointing out that they implement budgets on the orders of ministers and authorising officers. He therefore called for an inquiry that would include the actions of the authorising officers in order to ensure a full investigation.
The Prime Minister also expressed doubts as to the capacity of the state to carry out investigations on such a scale, both financially and in terms of human resources. He highlighted the continuing difficulties of the judicial administration in resolving complex financial cases quickly, despite previous instructions to that effect.
In his correspondence, the PM also referred to the lack of prior consultation with him as head of government and stressed the need to respect established procedures, in particular by submitting such decisions for consideration by the Council of Ministers, the highest decision-making body.
He expressed concern about the publicity given to the ongoing investigations, pointing to the potential damage to the reputations of those involved in the absence of hard evidence.
He therefore called for the immediate suspension of the current investigations and for a full dossier to be submitted to the Council of Ministers, including all the factual elements necessary to take an informed decision.
justice minister’s response
In response, the Minister of Justice expressed surprise at the method of communication chosen by the Prime Minister. In his view, an invitation to a discussion would have been more appropriate in order to shed light on the principles governing judicial institutions and criminal proceedings.
He recalled the legal basis that enable him to issue instructions to the magistrates of the Public Prosecution Service, in accordance with article 37 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, in order to ensure the coherence of the government’s criminal policy.
Minister Wright reiterated the essential role of the judiciary in maintaining order and justice, ensuring respect for the law and protecting the fundamental rights of citizens. He also explained the process of criminal investigation, which aims to establish the facts without presuming the guilt of those involved.
With regard to the suspension of proceedings, Mr. Wright recalled that public action cannot be interrupted by the executive, emphasising the principle of the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary guaranteed by the constitution.
The dissolution of the government by the transitional president, General Doumbouya, put an end to any possibility of talks between the two government officials, who, according to the transitional charter, must “immediately” return their official vehicles and travel documents.
They must also hand over their stamps to the designated transitional officials. The secretaries-general will be responsible for day-to-day management. The ex-members will also have their bank accounts frozen and will no longer be given a bodyguard.
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