On January 12, the Bamako Criminal Court ruled that...

On January 12, the Bamako Criminal Court ruled that Mali's ousted dictator, Moussa Traorè, his wife Mariam and her brother Abramane Doua Cissoko were guilty of illegally enriching themselves from state coffers to the tune of 202 million CFA francs ($357,522) during his 23-year rule. They have been condemned to death. Traorè's former Finance Minister, Tienan Coullibaly, former Interior Minister General Sekou Ly and an associate of the ex-ruler, Moussa Kone, were acquitted. It was the second death sentence handed down on the former ruler of the West African state. He was earlier condemned for "crimes of blood" after his overthrow in a 1991 popular uprising. That sentence was commuted to life in prison by President Konarè. The charges at Traorè's first trial related to the deaths of school children protesting against his rule. Sekou Ly was sentenced to death on the same charges, and his sentence was also commuted to life imprisonment. Defense lawyers have boycotted the trial since it opened on October 12, 1998, after the court rejected their request for the proceedings to be broadcast live on national television. The trial followed an investigation lasting 7 years. Traorè has been in prison since his overthrow. His wife is under house arrest.