Former Guinea Prime Minister released

Former Guinea Prime Minis ter Dr Ahmed Tidiane Soumare was released on Wednesday morning after being detained for a few hours at Peleton Mobile 3 (PM3), a garrison of the gendarmerie in Conakry, according to his immediate family.

The former head of the “broad-based” government under the late President Lansana Conte had been arraigned on Tuesday evening and taken to PM3 as he failed to keep his commitments of making a monthly payment for US$200,000 as promised when he was first arraigned last March.

His close relatives did not want to elaborate on the circumstances of the release of Dr Souare, also a former Minister of Mines (2005-2006). He was accused of misappropriating US$2.0 million taken from the Mine Funds at the Mine Department and meant to pay for study and research fees, office equipment and purchase of cars.

The former Prime Minister, who admitted the allegations at a televised debate led by the chief of the junta Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, was jailed, but later released after promising to pay off all the funds that disappeared.

Besides, his colleague Dr Ousmane Sylla, another former Mines Minister who was also released, after being accused of stealing about US$1.5 million from the Mine Funds, had also pledged to make monthly payments of US$200,000 that he owed.

However, another former Minister of Mines, Ahmed Kante, who refused to “collaborate” and did not admit to any misappropriation, as was affirmed by the Minister of Justice Colonel Siba Lolamou, has been in jail since last March.

Conakry - 02/07/2009

Pana