Mali ordered to settle $48m arms contract

Mali's Supreme Court has ordered the government to pay more than $48m to a local military equipment firm, in a legal battle over corruption allegations. The World Bank and IMF froze aid to Mali in 2014 over state dealings with the supplier Guo Star, and over a separate purchase of a $40m presidential plane for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. A report on the News24 site notes that the court said the state should pay Guo Star to pay the funds which represent the balance of the contract. The separate case of the presidential aircraft is still being investigated.