This week, Malians across the world woke up to the news of the issue of a warrant of arrest for the son of their ex-president, Keita. Karim Keita the eldest son of the former leader Ibrahim Boubacar Keita now remains in hiding after the issue of his warrant.
According to those close to the unfolding, Malian officials issued the request for the red alert for the arrest of Keita through Interpol. Some of these officials have been investigating Keita in connection with the 2016 disappearance of a journalist. Keita hasn’t however been seen since the overthrowing of his father in a 2020 coup. Du to this the authorities had to issue the notice because he needs to stand trial.
The existence of the notice for the arrest of Karim Keita has however remained a guarded secret by Interpol. The organization has not posted the warrant on its official website targeting Karim Keita. An official of the Interpol representative office in Mali who remains unknown however confirms that the notice exists already.
Investigation against the son of ex-president Keita
The investigation against Karim revolves around the disappearance of Birama Toure. Birama was a 50-year-old investigative journalist who worked for the Bamako weekly Le Sphinx. Birama’s family say the investigative journalist has not been seen since January 29, 2016.
Adama Drame director of publications for the Bamako weekly Le Sphinx fears that Birama got abducted, tortured, and killed after several months in detention. Adama said he believed this happened to Birama because in 2018 the ex-reporter had approached Karim Keita about a file. The file he presented had information compromising for the president’s son.
When Adama released the article through Bamako weekly Le Sphinx, Karim believed the Sphinx had defamed him. Later on, the son of the former leader filed a defamation complaint in 2019 against the director of the magazine. Additionally, Karim Keita filed a defamation complaint against a journalist from a private radio station in Bamako.
Karim Keita the personification of the corruption in Mali
A court judge deemed Karim’s defamation complaints against the Sphinx and the private radio station journalist inadmissible. The Malian justice system found the complaints inadmissible for formal reasons. After winning the court case Adama Drame the director of the Sphinx took refuge in France fearing for his safety.
Karim Keita became an elected member of parliament in 2013, the year his father came to power. During his time as an elected member of parliament, Keita became considered by many Malians as the personification of the corruption of the regime of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. When Keita saw that the protests against his father’s regime had gained momentum, he quit as head of the National Assembly. After he left his job, Keita disappeared from the radar during the coup d’état. Colonel Assimi Goita carried out the coup on 18 August 2020 against Keita`s father.
After 18 August 2020 the former head of the National Assembly reappeared a few days later in the Ivory Coast. Meanwhile, former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita remains in Bamako with the rest of Karim Keita’s siblings. Since the coup, the ex-president has been living in his villa with his family. The new government of Mali however refuses to state clearly whether Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is free to move around or not.
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