APA – Bamako (Mali) – The former minister has already spent 4 months in prison.
Prosecuted for “complicity” in the “SECURIPORT LLC” case and detained at the central prison of Bamako (MCA) since Wednesday, October 11, Arouna Modibo Touré, former Minister of Youth and Sports and then of Communications and the Digital Economy, was provisionally released on Tuesday evening, February 6.
According to those close to him, he returned home after his release. However, the investigation continues to shed light on the “SECURIPORT LLC” case. According to sources, other personalities, including another former minister, could be questioned in the near future.
During his last media appearance at the end of October, the Attorney General of the Supreme Court, Mamadou Timbo, indicated that “the State’s share, which was around 25 percent, had simply disappeared from the contract.” According to him, there was a shortfall of about 8 billion CFA francs.
As a result of these investigations, a dozen people were arrested, including 5 ministers. At least two of them have been remanded in custody.
In addition to Touré, the former Minister of Security and Civil Protection, Brigadier General Salif Traoré, is still behind bars. The CEO of SECURIPORT LLC, American Enrique Segura, was briefly interrogated and then charged with “complicity in forgery, use of forgeries, damage to public property, corruption and money laundering.”
The latest news is that he has managed to leave the country. The Attorney General had also indicated that other individuals involved were out of the country, such as former Prime Minister, Boubou Cissé, who was also Finance Minister at the time.
Nevertheless, an arrest warrant was issued for him. As a reminder, the case dates back to 2016, when the Malian authorities at the time issued a decree approving the “concession contract for the supply and operation of a civil aviation and immigration security system, including construction, maintenance and transfer, between the Government of Mali and SECURIPORT LLC.”
The contract was signed for a period of ten years. SECURITPORT LLC is a company that provides intelligent immigration security systems.
Despite these legal proceedings, which are part of the fight against corruption and illicit enrichment in Mali, the arrested persons have not yet been brought to trial.
MD/te/lb/abj/APA