Court of Appeal: INPS borrowers are permanently effective

On Tuesday, August 6, 2024, Asmane Touré, beneficiary of the National Social Security Institute (INPS), was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for the crimes of forgery and damage to public property.

In 2020, the National Social Insurance Institute (INPS) Finance Department noticed a sharp increase in the amount of certain pensions. This situation prompted the General Management of INPS to contact the General Inspection Office so that it could carry out all the necessary checks.

After a comprehensive inspection investigation by INPS, inspectors found that the pensions of Fatoumata Doucouré and Mariam Samba Traoré, which were liquidated on the basis of 365,376 CFA francs, had increased to 28,579,421 CFA francs, or an overcharge of 56,428,075 CFA francs.

Faced with this observation, the General Inspectorate requested the Malian Solidarity Bank (BMS) and the National Agricultural Development Bank (BNDA) to identify the account holders who had received the amounts in question. However, only BMS-SA responded positively to this request, informing INPS of the name of Asmane Touré as the account holder opened in its books.

INPS concluded that its service provider, Asmane Touré, was the sole holder of the aforementioned bank account and decided to file a complaint against him.

Following preliminary investigations by the Research Brigade of the Left Bank Gendarmerie in Bamako, the prosecution decided to open a judicial investigation against Mr. Touré for the crimes of forgery and damage to public property. During the preliminary hearing and before the examining magistrate, the accused did not deny the facts of the charges.

Touré, who will be granted provisional release in 2021, was due to appear before the Special Circuit Court for Economic and Financial Crimes on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, to answer the charges. But the court soon noticed that both he and his lawyer were absent from the dock.
“Mr. President, you note that the accused refused to appear in court, despite admitting the facts charged. He has reportedly left the country. We must bear all the consequences and under no circumstances should he benefit from extenuating circumstances,” the Attorney General’s Office demanded.

The court, chaired by Mamadou N. Camara, sentenced Asmane Touré in absentia to life imprisonment and a fine of 20 million CFA francs as compensation.

Osman Mahman