A much-anticipated trial over the controversial 2014 purchase of a presidential Boeing and military equipment has begun in the Bamako Court of Appeal, which, on September 24, upheld its authority to continue with the proceedings over procedural objections raised by defence lawyers, the Maliweb news site reported.
Several former Malian ministers and top military officials are on trial for allegedly siphoning off millions of dollars from the purchase of B737-700(BBJ) TZ-PRM (msn 30328), owned by the government (République du Mali) and currently under repair at Bamako after it was set alight on September 17 when Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), a local affiliate of Al-Qaeda, attacked the airport.
The case involves allegations of embezzlement amounting to XOF28.5 billion CFA African francs (USD49.5 million) for the presidential plane and XOF69 billion (USD117.8 million) for military equipment, both allegedly purchased without competitive bidding. The transactions led to financial sanctions from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) including a temporary freeze on disbursements.
Former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, who was defence minister at the time, was detained in 2021. Maïga, who maintained his innocence, died in detention in March 2022 and charges against him have been dropped. But charges of fraud, forgery, and nepotism have been filed against 11 other individuals, including former finance minister Bouare Fily Sissoko and former chief of staff Mahamadou Camara. Several of the accused are outside Mali and face international arrest warrants.
According to Maliweb, the defence on September 24 requested the summons as witnesses of two former prime ministers, Oumar Tatam Ly and Moussa Mara. The court rejected this request while allowing three officials from the Ministry of Defence to testify. Only Sissoko, Camara, and Brigadier General Moustapha Drabo, former director of equipment, finance, and transport for the Armed Forces of Mali, appeared in court.
