Mali’s former civilian Prime Minister, Choguel Kokalla Maiga, has been charged with embezzlement of public funds and other offenses
He has been ordered held in custody following a hearing at the country’s Supreme Court
Maiga was dismissed from office in November 2024, months after openly criticizing the military junta that has ruled Mali since coups in 2020 and 2021.
His lawyer, Cheick Oumar Konare, confirmed the charges on Tuesday, adding that no trial date has been set. “We believe in justice, we are calm while awaiting the trial,” Konare told AFP, noting that Maiga will remain in detention.
Judicial sources say Maiga faces allegations including embezzlement, “damage to public property, forgery, and use of false documents.” Eight of his former aides were also detained, while his former chief of staff has been released pending trial.
Maiga was arrested last week, shortly after the junta carried out widespread detentions to thwart what it described as a planned coup within the military. His lawyer said, “Choguel Maiga says he is calm and believes that a politician should expect anything, including prison and death.”
Maiga became prime minister in 2021 following the junta’s second coup, but lost his position three years later after criticizing the regime for failing to set a clear timetable for returning to civilian rule. He was replaced by General Abdoulaye Maiga, a former government spokesman.
Mali, one of West Africa’s poorest countries, has faced worsening security challenges since 2012, with attacks by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS, alongside criminal gangs.
The military government of Colonel Assimi Goita has turned away from Western allies like France and strengthened ties with Russia, whose forces have been accused alongside Malian troops of committing atrocities against civilians.
In July, a new law passed by Mali’s military-backed legislature granted Goita a five-year presidential mandate, renewable “as many times as necessary” without elections — a move widely seen as cementing authoritarian rule.
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