Mali former intelligence chief sentenced to 15 years in prison

A court in Mali sentenced former domestic intelligence chief Colonel Kassoum Goita to 15 years in prison on Friday for conspiracy against the government.

Goita, a former head of internal security, had been charged on suspicion of attempting a coup and destabilising state institutions. After a 10-day trial, he was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and conspiracy against the government.

During the trial, Goita denied the charges. He also accused Mali's ruling authorities of embezzling funds and subjecting him to torture.

Goita was one of the army officers who overthrew elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in an August 2020 military coup led by Colonel Assimi Goita. The two men are not related despite sharing the same family name.

After the 2020 coup, the army handed power to a civilian-led interim government under diplomatic pressure. That interim government was tasked with moving Mali back towards civilian rule. Kassoum Goita became head of domestic intelligence under that government.

He was dismissed after Assimi Goita overthrew the interim government's leaders in 2021 in a second coup and was declared interim president.

The prosecutor had sought a 20-year prison sentence for Kassoum Goita and five other defendants. All six people prosecuted in the trial denied the charges. They received prison terms ranging from seven to 15 years.

A defence lawyer said the defence was not surprised by the verdict and intended to exhaust all domestic legal avenues before turning to other bodies.