A self-proclaimed marabout, or traditional folk healer, who collected 33,500 euros promising Mali’s victory at the Africa Cup of Nations, has been arrested for fraud following the team’s defeat.
Identified only as Mr Sinayogo, he received over 22 million CFA francs in donations, according to an associate. After Mali’s loss, an angry mob reportedly gathered at his residence before police intervened and removed him.
Sinayogo was taken into custody in the Malian capital, Bamako, on Saturday and is being held at the cybercrime division. “Charlatanism is punishable by law in Mali,” a division official told AFP, noting that arresting him during the tournament would have been difficult “in the heat of the Africa Cup of Nations.”
Once a political activist, Sinayogo “proclaimed himself a marabout overnight and made a fortune,” said a social media content creator close to him.
