Mali arrests former premier for alleged misuse of public funds

BAMAKO, Mali/ISTANBUL

Mali's former Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga was placed under a detention warrant Tuesday by the Supreme Court's investigating chamber for alleged misuse of public funds.

Maiga was held in custody from Aug. 11 to 19 at the Economic and Financial Division before being brought Tuesday before the Supreme Court's investigating chamber, his lawyer Cheick Oumar Konare said in a statement.

“The Court notified him of the charges of misappropriation of public property as stated in the prosecutor general’s indictment and decided to place him under a detention warrant,” Konare added.

Konare said the former premier remains calm and “believes that a politician must be prepared for anything, including prison and death,” adding that he was pleased his former chief of staff, professor Issiaka Ahmadou Singare, 80, was being prosecuted without detention in the same case.

Maiga, who served from July 2021 to November 2024, and was a key figure in Mali's transitional process, was arrested as part of a procedure related to his responsibilities while simultaneously serving as prime minister and chairman of the board of directors of the Agency for the Management of the Universal Access Fund (AGEFAU).

He was dismissed by Gen. Assimi Goita after he publicly criticized the management of the transition during a rally organized by the June 5 Movement - Rally of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP).