2024-01-17 12:43:48
The trial of the massacre of September 28, 2009 continues before the Dixinn criminal court, relocated to the Conakry Court of Appeal, with the hearing of witnesses. This Wednesday, January 17, 2024, it was Fodéba Isto Keira, Minister of Sports at the time of the events who appeared.
After his account of the events, this former minister under the CNDD tried to enlighten the court on the renovation of the September 28 stadium which was to take place following the massacre. He admits having ordered Guicopres, a private company, to carry out repair work on some parts of the stadium which were damaged.
Contrary to certain witnesses who claimed that this work was carried out to remove traces of the events, Fodéba Isto Keira rather maintains that it is because the stadium should host a football match on October 11, 2009.
“Unfortunately FIFA and CAF wrote to the Guinean Football Federation to notify that the match which was scheduled for the 11th might no longer take place in Guinea because of the massacre of September 28 and that the match is now relocated to Accra (… ) The renovation work was stopped as the match was relocated. This work was done, but followingwards,” he said.
According to his testimony, it was 10 days following the massacre that he went to the stadium to ensure that the match between Guinea and Burkina Faso might be played on the pitch. On site, he said he noticed shoes scattered here and there and bullet marks on the various walls of the stadium.
“I heard here that we came to wash off the blood and put the paint on, no, the paints on the stadium remained that way. The renovation took place a month later,” insisted the witness.
Asked whether he had received instructions from the hierarchy to undertake this renovation work with the aim of removing the evidence, the former minister replied in the negative. “I did not receive any instructions, it was just to make our field operational so as not to have our match relocated and unfortunately the match was relocated.”
Fodéba Isto Keira’s testimony continues with questions from the lawyers of the different parties to the trial.
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