Vincent Dabilgou, Burkina Faso’s former Minister of Transport, was sentenced to eleven years in prison, with seven years to be served, for charges including “embezzlement of public funds,” “illicit enrichment,” and “money laundering,” according to judicial sources reported by AFP.
Dabilgou served as minister from 2018 to 2022 during the presidency of Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, who was ousted in a coup in January 2022.
The Ouagadougou High Court found him guilty of embezzling 1.12 billion FCFA (approximately 1.7 million euros), illicit enrichment, money laundering, and concealed financing of a political party, specifically the New Time for Democracy (NTD), which he leads.
He has also been fined 3.3 billion FCFA (4.7 million euros), and the activities of his party have been suspended.
Four other individuals, including two of Dabilgou’s former colleagues from the Ministry of Transport, were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to eleven years, along with significant fines.
The court ordered the confiscation of Dabilgou’s assets equal to the amount embezzled, and he has been declared ineligible for five years.
The NTD, once a presidential party, secured 13 seats in the 2020 legislative elections, up from three seats in 2015.
On September 30, 2022, a coup d’état brought Captain Ibrahim Traoré to power in Ouagadougou, overthrowing Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, who had led the initial coup that toppled President Kaboré earlier that year.
By FCCT Editorial Team
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