The trial of Mandian Sidibé, former director-general of Guinea's Office guinéen de publicité (OGP), began on October 30, 2026, at the Cour de répression des infractions économiques et financières (CRIEF). Sidibé faces multiple charges, including embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, corruption, and abuse of power, related to an estimated 78 billion francs guinéens. He has denied several accusations, defending his management of the institution and citing prior practices.
Sidibé claimed that the charges against him may be motivated by a desire to tarnish his image with the head of state. He stated that he received 30 million francs guinéens monthly for fuel, 95 million francs guinéens in monthly salary, and 180 million francs guinéens in annual housing allowance. He also discussed efforts to improve working conditions for OGP employees, including raising salaries to ensure no employee earned less than three million francs guinéens.
The former OGP director-general addressed a mass recruitment drive criticized in a state inspection report, which contributed to payment difficulties. Sidibé explained that the OGP experienced a slow advertising period between July and September, making it hard to pay workers. He also implicated Thierno Mamadou Bah, president of the board of directors, in recruitment decisions.
Sidibé acknowledged that salary arrears accumulated under his management, sometimes reaching two and a half months. He stated that the company had to take loans from partners to meet its payroll obligations. The CRIEF president asked if there wasn't a treasury mechanism to anticipate these financial difficulties, to which Sidibé replied that it was complicated.
The former OGP head mentioned over 300 trainees nationwide who received average monthly allowances of 1.5 million francs guinéens. He also disputed the accuracy of a 2025 inspection report highlighting financial irregularities, including payments made in cash without justification and checks issued to institution officials.
Sidibé accused the board of directors, led by Thierno Mamadou Bah, of wrongdoing. He claimed that upon his installation, the board provided him with 100 million francs guinéens as a monthly fund, which he refused and repaid at a rate of 10 million francs guinéens per month. Sidibé also accused the board of attempting to alter an Inspection générale de l'État (IGE) report.
Sidibé denied accusations of abusive layoffs, including that of an employee who allegedly refused to withdraw cash for him. He asserted that he had increased salaries and rehired previously laid-off individuals. The case has been adjourned to allow the prosecution to ask questions.
Key points
- Mandian Sidibé denies corruption charges and embezzlement of 78 billion francs guinéens during his tenure at OGP.
- Sidibé implicates Thierno Mamadou Bah, president of OGP's board of directors, in recruitment and financial management decisions.
- The trial continues at CRIEF to examine the responsibilities of Sidibé and co-defendants.
