Former Malian finance and economy minister Bouaré Fily Sissoko was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in Bamako on July 8 in a landmark corruption trial over the controversial 2014 purchase of military equipment and a presidential B737-700(BBJ) under former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

Sissoko was convicted of "damaging public property," according to the verdict from Mali's high-level criminal court, the Bamako Court of Assizes.

Several former Malian ministers and senior military officials have been on trial for embezzling over XOF97.5 billion West African francs (USD174.2 million) linked to the 2014 purchase of the presidential jet and military equipment, both acquired without competitive bidding. The deal prompted international scrutiny, including a six-month suspension of disbursements from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2014.

The BBJ, TZ-PRM (msn 30328), owned by the République du Mali (Bamako), was subsequently damaged during a September 2024 Bamako airport attack by Al-Qaeda-linked militants. It remains in repair at Bamako, according to ch-aviation data. The Malian state also owns a B727-200, TZ-001 (msn 21853).

The high-profile case also saw several other convictions. Moustapha Ben Barka, a former minister and former vice president of the West African Development Bank, was sentenced in absentia to life in prison. Colonel-Major Nouhoun Dabitao was sentenced to seven years for forgery and using forged documents in military procurement, the court said.

The defendants were ordered to repay large sums to the state. Sissoko and Ben Barka, along with three others, were jointly fined XOF40 billion West African francs (USD71.3 million), while Dabitao was ordered to pay XOF2 billion (USD3.5 million).

Sissoko's lawyer, Tounkara Dianguina, criticised the ruling as "disproportionate," telling AFP that his client was "paying for others, including the dead". He said an appeal would be filed promptly.

The late former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, defence minister at the time of the deals, was also charged in connection with the case. He was detained in 2021 and died in custody in 2023 while maintaining his innocence. His supporters have accused Mali’s ruling junta of allowing his death in detention.