Guinean ex-leader smuggled $64,000 into the US

Sekouba Konate, a former Guinean president and serving African Union general, has pleaded guilty to smuggling money into the US. The 51-year-old tried to sneak in more than $64,000 (£42,600) after arriving on a flight from Ethiopia in 2013. He faces up to five years in jail when he is sentenced next February, said the […]

Sekouba Konate, a former Guinean president and serving African Union general, has pleaded guilty to smuggling money into the US.
The 51-year-old tried to sneak in more than $64,000 (£42,600) after arriving on a flight from Ethiopia in 2013.
He faces up to five years in jail when he is sentenced next February, said the US Department of Justice.
Known as “El Tigre” for his military prowess, he was in the junta which took power in December 2008.
Gen Konate handed over power in December 2010, after Guinea’s first democratic elections in 50 years.
Afterwards he was appointed general commander of the security forces of the African Union, US court papers said.
According to the Associated Press agency, Gen Konate, who had been due to go on trial on Tuesday, has family in North Carolina and owns property in the state.
He testified at a pre-trial hearing that he did not understand the customs process because of language barriers, the agency reports.