General Horta Inta-a removed the Attorney General and the head of the Court of Accounts, appointing new magistrates to the roles.
Guinea-Bissau's transitional president, General Horta Inta-a, has dismissed the Attorney General, Amadu Tijane Baldé, and the president of the Court of Accounts, Gamal Abel Cassama. The move, announced by local media, sees Mário Ialá, a public prosecutor, appointed as the new Attorney General. Ialá was previously a magistrate involved in electoral process oversight who was detained by military personnel following a November coup.
Armando Sumba, a jurist with experience in the Court of Accounts, has been named to lead the institution. Both the dismissals and the new appointments are effective immediately, according to decrees signed by General Inta-a. Baldé and Cassama were themselves appointed to their positions on December 4th of the previous year.
The transitional government is preparing for new legislative and presidential elections scheduled for December 6th. However, the transitional prime minister and the National Electoral Council have indicated that conditions are not yet met for holding the elections on that date. The opposition has characterized the recent political events as a "ceremonial coup" preceding presidential election results.
Why it mattersThe transitional president's actions directly affect the leadership of key judicial and financial oversight bodies within the country.
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