Arrest in France of Malian Moustapha Ben Barka, vice-president of BOAD

The headquarters of the West African Development Bank (BOAD) in Lomé, Togo, in 2018. © CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons/Jihanefikara

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Interpellation by order of the French justice in Paris this Monday of Moustapha Ben Barka.

A Malian national, he is vice-president of the West African Development Bank (BOAD) based in Lomé.

He is also the former secretary general of the presidency of Mali, equivalent to the post of minister.

It is not yet officially known what is alleged against this senior official.

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With our correspondent in the region,

Moustapha Ben Barka went to South Korea on Monday.

At the stopover in Paris, he was told that he was wanted by French justice.

Since then, no news.

From a source familiar with the matter, we want to remain cautious.

But the arrest by the courts of the vice-president of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), an important financial institution in the sub-region is an event.

In Mali, the man was also secretary general of the presidency of the Republic, with the rank of minister.

He served his uncle-president, the late Ibrahim Boubacar Kéita.

We know that Malian justice is looking for him.

An international arrest warrant has been issued against him.

But here too be careful.

For this type of warrant to be executed, it must imperatively pass through the international organization of the criminal police, Interpol.

However, for the moment, there is no trace of a mandate within this structure.

In 48 hours in principle, we should know what is alleged against the former strongman of the presidential palace in Bamako.

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• mali

• France