A SPECIAL court in Guinea has sentenced the country’s former prime minister to five years in prison after finding him guilty of corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, who was prime minister in the government of former President Alpha Conde, was also fined 2 billion Guinean francs (£182,000) during his sentencing on Thursday in the capital of Conakry.

Mr Fofana was convicted of embezzling up to 15 billion Guinean francs (£1.35 million) in public funds from some of the past government’s social welfare programmes, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He is one of many officials from the deposed Conde administration being prosecuted by the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences, a special court set up after Guinea’s military came to power.

He was prime minister from May 2018 till September 2021, when the military took power, and has been detained since April 2022 following his arrest on corruption charges.

Mr Fofana denied the charges, which he described as a witch hunt.

Guinea is one of several West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken power.

Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, the military leader, overthrew the president in 2021, chastising the previous government for breaking promises while promising to rid the country of bad governance and corruption.