A SPECIAL court in Guinea has sentenced the country’s former prime minister to five years in prison after finding him guilty of corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, who was prime minister in the government of former President Alpha Conde, was also fined 2 billion Guinean francs (£182,000) during his sentencing on Thursday in the capital of Conakry.

Mr Fofana was convicted of embezzling up to 15 billion Guinean francs (£1.35 million) in public funds from some of the past government’s social welfare programmes, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.