The Bamako public prosecutor's office has decided to drop the proceedings against Clément Dembélé, a prominent voice of Malian civil society, targeted by a procedure dating back to before the putsch that overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, his lawyer said on Wednesday (September 2nd).
The court which tried him on Wednesday put his judgment under advisement on September 30, deputy prosecutor Abba Maïga told AFP.
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Clément Dembélé, president of the Platform against corruption and unemployment in Mali (PCC), was arrested on May 9 for calling on the security forces to revolt.
The Malian head of state was then the subject of a challenge led by a coalition of religious, political and civilian organizations and leaders.
This protest continued to grow until a group of officers actually deposed Mr. Keïta on August 18.
The military are now in power.
Mr. Dembélé remains one of the figures of the protest movement which now demands an equal role with the army in the transition supposed to bring civilians back to power.
The trial of Mr. Dembélé was heard on Wednesday before the coup.
“
The prosecutor was very courageous.
He said that in the absence of evidence he is obliged to drop the proceedings altogether
, ”said his lawyer, Me Abdrahamane Ben Mamata Touré after the hearing.
In the midst of a rebellion against power, the arrest of Mr. Dembélé had aroused all the more interest as it had never been publicly confirmed by the authorities, until his release several days later.
The silence about his fate had given rise to abundant speculation.
Mali was ranked 130th out of 180 countries in 2019 on the corruption index in the public sector established by the specialized organization Transparency International.
