Guinea seizes assets of tycoon accused of graft
Source: Reuters
By Saliou Samb CONAKRY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Guinea's judicial authorities have ordered the seizure of all assets and property belonging to the country's richest man, who is embroiled in a corruption probe, the state's top prosecutor said on Tuesday. Prosecutor-general Yaya Kairaba Kaba made the announcement on the eve of an indefinite general strike called by unions to protest against President Lansana Conte's personal intervention last month to free wealthy businessmen Mamadou Sylla from jail. Opponents say Conte's help for former ally Sylla is an example of the increasingly erratic rule of the ageing leader, a reclusive diabetic in his 70s who seized power in a 1984 coup. Sylla -- the owner of a multi-million-dollar business, Futurelec Holding -- is accused along with a former Central Bank deputy governor, whom Conte also freed from jail last month, of taking $22 million in Treasury Bills from the bank. Sylla denies all charges and says the cash-strapped government owes him $28 million for supplies. "We have decided to order the seizure of all the funds, properties and other assets of Mamadou Sylla in the Republic of Guinea and abroad," Kaba told reporters outside a Conakry court. Some observers said the move appeared to be a bid by the government to ward off the general strike in the West African country, which is the world's top exporter of bauxite, the raw material for aluminium. Most Guineans live in poverty. "This is an attempt to defuse the crisis which is looming at this moment in the country," Sylla's lawyer Christian Sow said. Previous nationwide strikes have been over the price of basic goods and fuel, triggering widespread rioting and bringing the West African country to a standstill. But the latest planned stoppage appeared to be the most overtly political yet. A stumbling economy, rampant corruption and a powerful but fractious military have raised fears of instability in a state once seen as a bulwark against wars in neighbouring Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast. The deteriorating health of Conte has also frayed nerves, raising the prospect of a dangerous power vacuum in the former French colony as rival factions compete to succeed him. Opponents accuse Conte of riding roughshod over state institutions and say he is no longer fit to rule. Last year, Guinea was ranked by Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International as the most corrupt country in Africa -- and second in the world only to Haiti.
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