Former Malian prime minister Maiga arrested on corruption charges
The former head of government was arrested on August 12 as part of investigations into his management at the prime minister’s office, as were several of his former colleagues, including his former chief of staff.
Mali ‘s former civilian prime minister , Choguel Maïga , dismissed in November by the military in power since 2020, was taken into custody on Tuesday, following recent arrests of members of the army accused of conspiring against the junta.
Around fifty soldiers, including two generals, accused of wanting to overthrow the authorities in power, have been arrested in recent days by the junta that has ruled the country since two successive coups in 2020 and 2021.
Choguel Maïga was appointed Prime Minister in 2021 by the junta led by General Assimi Goïta , before being dismissed at the end of 2024 after voicing criticism of the junta. He had notably deplored being kept out of decisions on the continued leadership of the generals, who had initially promised to hand power back to elected civilians in March 2024
He was replaced by a military man, General Abdoulaye Maïga , completing the militarization of the executive, in a context of severe restrictions on freedoms by the junta and deadly jihadist violence in the territory.
“Damage to public property”
“Maïga and several of his former colleagues are in custody as part of investigations into their management at the Prime Minister’s office. In principle, tomorrow [Wednesday] or the day after [Thursday], they will be brought before the Supreme Court prosecutor,” said a source at the Economic and Financial Division, the court responsible for prosecuting economic crimes.
The police “formally notified” Choguel Maïga on Tuesday of his placement in police custody, his lawyer, Cheick Oumar Konaré, said in a statement.
The police custody “also affects several of his former collaborators” and “comes as part of an investigation into allegations of damage to public property issued by a report from the State Auditor General,” he continued, without giving further details.
Among the former collaborators of Choguel Maïga in custody are his former chief of staff, Issiaka Ahmadou Singaré, and three former administrative and financial directors of the Prime Minister’s office, added Cheick Oumar Konaré.
In “break” with the junta
Choguel Maïga is one of the figures of the June 5 Movement/Rally of Patriotic Forces (M5/RFP) who took part in the popular protest in 2020 against civilian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who was finally overthrown by the military in August of that same year.
In February 2025, he stated that the “break is complete” between his political coalition and the junta, citing in particular “arrests and extrajudicial detentions” against members of the M5-RFP.
The former Prime Minister had at the same time called on the military to “create the security conditions for the holding of credible and peaceful elections, by involving political and social forces”, while no new deadline has been set for a return to civilian power.
