• Taken into custody on Aug. 12 after Auditor General’s report

• Former aides also detained as part of the investigation

• Arrest follows criticism of extended military transition

Mali’s former Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga was placed in police custody on Tuesday as part of an investigation into alleged damage to public property, according to local media and his lawyer.

The case stems from findings by the Auditor General’s office. Maïga was first questioned on Aug. 1 and returned on Tuesday to face his former aides before being formally detained, his lawyer Cheick Oumar Konaré said.

Also in custody are his former chief of staff, Issiaka Ahmadou Singaré, and three former administrative and financial directors of the Prime Minister’s office.

Maïga, appointed in 2021 by the transitional government led by General Assimi Goïta, was dismissed in November 2024 after publicly opposing the extension of the military-led transition and the exclusion of civilians from decision-making. A key figure in the M5-RFP movement that helped oust President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in 2020, he later distanced himself from the military regime.

His arrest comes amid a broader crackdown on opposition figures, with recent detentions of military officers accused of plotting and a tightening grip on political life. Mali continues to grapple with a decade-long security crisis and worsening economic conditions.

Charlène N’dimon