The legal situation in Madagascar is accelerating. On Saturday, April 4, the anti-corruption unit in Antananarivo ordered the detention of six individuals involved in the massive embezzlement of public funds from the Malagasy Sovereign Wealth Fund (FSM) . This corruption case is now officially linked to the recent assassination attempt targeting the president of the Refoundation party, Michaël Randrianirina .

A colossal embezzlement of 19.4 billion ariary

The investigation, launched on March 20 following a complaint from the presidency, revealed a "systematic circumvention of disbursement procedures" between February 12 and March 13. In total, 19.4 billion ariary (approximately 4 million euros) are alleged to have been fraudulently misappropriated.

The Minister of Justice, Fanirisoa Ernaivo , highlighted a striking coincidence: this amount corresponds almost exactly to the sums identified to finance the project to overthrow the government.

The suspects' profiles

The alleged mastermind behind these financial operations is Air Force Brigadier General Jean Alfred Rakotomaronirina . Appointed acting director general of the FSM last January, this retired military officer is now behind bars. According to the Minister of Justice, his involvement is direct in both the financial malfeasance and the plot targeting the head of state.

Summary of prosecutions

The overall case, which involves corruption and threats to state security, is taking on unprecedented proportions:

1. Conspiracy against the President: 13 people have been prosecuted since April 2nd.
2. Detentions: 11 suspects are already behind bars, while 2 are subject to an arrest warrant.
3. Confessions: The Attorney General indicated that several defendants admitted that the funds (approximately 20 billion ariary) paid into their personal accounts were specifically used to finance the coup.

In summary: What appeared to be a case of administrative corruption turns out, according to the government, to be the financial engine of a major political destabilization in Madagascar.