Former Guinea-Bissau Finance Minister Suleimane Seidi was re-arrested on October 2, just months after being released in July while awaiting trial on corruption charges. His family and the Guinean Human Rights League have condemned the arrest, calling it a “kidnapping.” According to sources, Seidi is currently being held at the second police station in Bissau.
Seidi was initially arrested in December 2023 in connection with the “six billion case” and had been released in July after posting bail of 60 million CFA francs (approximately €91,000), with the condition of weekly check-ins with authorities. His brother, Bramia Seidi, reported that the former minister was having breakfast at a restaurant in Bissau when four unidentified individuals in plain clothes forcibly took him to an undisclosed location. The family later discovered he was at the second police station but were denied access to him, along with his legal team.
Bubacar Ture, president of the Guinean Human Rights League, criticized the arrest, calling it arbitrary and politically motivated. “There is no legitimate reason for his detention at this time,” Ture stated, accusing the regime of using authoritarian tactics to silence dissenting voices.
The arrest comes just a day after Simões Pereira, the Speaker of Parliament, alleged during a press conference that money from the “six billion case” had been funneled to an advisor of the Guinean President.