Mamadou Sylla
Encyclopedia
Mamadou Sylla is a Guinea
n politician
and business leader.
Born in Boké
, in 1986 Sylla was one of several people given large amounts of rice
by the Government to retail. Becoming wealthy, he moved to Conakry
and became a senior judge
.
In 1998, Sylla bought an arms importer and was awarded the contract to supply the Guinean Army. Sylla became a significant supporter of President Lansana Conté
, extending overdraft
facilities to the Army and spending large sums of money supporting Conté's 2001 referendum
to remove term limit
s.
Sylla was subsequently awarded a large number of government contracts, becoming recognised as Guinea's richest man. In 2003, he was appointed Minister of Justice. In 2004, he took Senegal
ese nationality in order to further his business dealings there. The following year, at the request of the Guinean government, he became the founder and leader of the Congress of Guinean Employers.
In 2005, Sylla's firm Futurelec Holding was accused of owing the government over $8,000,000, but he counter-claimed that the state was in fact indebted to him. An independent investigation concluded that while the government owed him $22 million, he actually owed it $55 million, and had a $2.7 million overdraft at the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea
- even though individuals were not permitted to hold accounts there. In 2006, he was jailed, accused of embezzlement
of public funds and issuing bouncing cheque
s, but he was released in December 2006 through the intervention of Conté, who went to the jail in person to set Sylla free. This became a major complaint of the 2007 Guinean general strike
.
Sylla became the Honorary President of the ruling Party of Unity and Progress (PUP) on May 26, 2007, in a ceremony at which Conté was present. He had been chosen for that position by acclamation. As Sylla was an extremely controversial figure, the decision to make him Honorary President of the PUP was viewed as surprising by many.
Sylla was a close personal friend of President Conté, and his influence with Conté was reputedly so great that he could have any government minister dismissed. Conté died after a long illness in December 2008 and the military immediately seized power in a coup d'état
, expressing a firm intention to crack down on corruption. On December 29, 2008, soldiers forcefully entered Sylla's compound and told Sylla to relinquish the keys to six SUV vehicles that they said were owned by the state. Sylla did so, while complaining about the soldiers' methods; he said that there had been no need to enter the compound by force—"the door [was] wide open"—and that his aides had been frightened. He insisted that a phone call would have been sufficient and said that the six SUVs were part of a contract between Futurelec and the military, according to which Futurelec was to deliver 150 vehicles.
On January 21, 2009, Sylla was among those who were ordered by the junta to appear before an anti-corruption audit commission.
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and business leader.
Born in Boké
Boké
Boké is the capital city of Boké Prefecture within the Boké Region of Lower Guinea near the border with Guinea-Bissau. It is also a sub-prefecture of Guinea. Located along the Rio Nuñez which flows to its not-too-distant mouth on the Atlantic Ocean, Boké is a port. It is known for the Fortin de...
, in 1986 Sylla was one of several people given large amounts of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
by the Government to retail. Becoming wealthy, he moved to Conakry
Conakry
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
and became a senior judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
.
In 1998, Sylla bought an arms importer and was awarded the contract to supply the Guinean Army. Sylla became a significant supporter of President Lansana Conté
Lansana Conté
Lansana Conté was the second President of Guinea from 3 April 1984 until his death. He was a Muslim and a member of the Susu ethnic group.-Early life:...
, extending overdraft
Overdraft
An overdraft occurs when money is withdrawn from a bank account and the available balance goes below zero. In this situation the account is said to be "overdrawn". If there is a prior agreement with the account provider for an overdraft, and the amount overdrawn is within the authorized overdraft...
facilities to the Army and spending large sums of money supporting Conté's 2001 referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
to remove term limit
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
s.
Sylla was subsequently awarded a large number of government contracts, becoming recognised as Guinea's richest man. In 2003, he was appointed Minister of Justice. In 2004, he took Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese nationality in order to further his business dealings there. The following year, at the request of the Guinean government, he became the founder and leader of the Congress of Guinean Employers.
In 2005, Sylla's firm Futurelec Holding was accused of owing the government over $8,000,000, but he counter-claimed that the state was in fact indebted to him. An independent investigation concluded that while the government owed him $22 million, he actually owed it $55 million, and had a $2.7 million overdraft at the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea
Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea
The Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea is the central bank of Guinea. The bank is located in the capital city of Conakry.The bank was established on 1 March 1960. Ousmane Baldé was president of the bank in the 1960s before his execution in 1971...
- even though individuals were not permitted to hold accounts there. In 2006, he was jailed, accused of embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
of public funds and issuing bouncing cheque
Cheque
A cheque is a document/instrument See the negotiable cow—itself a fictional story—for discussions of cheques written on unusual surfaces. that orders a payment of money from a bank account...
s, but he was released in December 2006 through the intervention of Conté, who went to the jail in person to set Sylla free. This became a major complaint of the 2007 Guinean general strike
2007 Guinean general strike
The 2007 Guinean general strike began on January 10, 2007. Guinea's trade unions and opposition parties called on President Lansana Conté to resign, accusing him of mismanaging the economy and abusing his authority. The strikers also accused Conté of personally securing the release of Mamadou...
.
Sylla became the Honorary President of the ruling Party of Unity and Progress (PUP) on May 26, 2007, in a ceremony at which Conté was present. He had been chosen for that position by acclamation. As Sylla was an extremely controversial figure, the decision to make him Honorary President of the PUP was viewed as surprising by many.
Sylla was a close personal friend of President Conté, and his influence with Conté was reputedly so great that he could have any government minister dismissed. Conté died after a long illness in December 2008 and the military immediately seized power in a coup d'état
2008 Guinean coup d'état
The 2008 Guinean coup d'état was a Guinean military coup d'état that occurred in Guinea on 23 December 2008, shortly after the death of long-time President Lansana Conté...
, expressing a firm intention to crack down on corruption. On December 29, 2008, soldiers forcefully entered Sylla's compound and told Sylla to relinquish the keys to six SUV vehicles that they said were owned by the state. Sylla did so, while complaining about the soldiers' methods; he said that there had been no need to enter the compound by force—"the door [was] wide open"—and that his aides had been frightened. He insisted that a phone call would have been sufficient and said that the six SUVs were part of a contract between Futurelec and the military, according to which Futurelec was to deliver 150 vehicles.
On January 21, 2009, Sylla was among those who were ordered by the junta to appear before an anti-corruption audit commission.