Mali's Supreme Court confirms 10-year prison sentence for former Economy and Finance Minister Bouaré Fily Sissoko

The conviction stems from a high-profile case involving the purchase of military equipment and a presidential aircraft in 2014. On July 8, 2025, the Special Assize Court for Economic and Financial Crimes found Sissoko guilty of "forgery, use of forged documents, and damage to public property" during the tenure of former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Her lawyer, Dianguiné Tounkara, had filed an appeal with the criminal chamber of the Supreme Court, which confirmed the initial verdict on Tuesday.

The lawyer stated intentions to appeal to international courts. The case, which involved the purchase of a presidential aircraft for an estimated 40 million dollars and military equipment from a Malian company without a tender process, led to sanctions from financial institutions, including a six-month freeze on disbursements from the International Monetary Fund in 2014. Moustapha Ben Barka, a former minister and former vice-president of the West African Development Bank, was also sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment, and several officers were convicted.