Congo-Brazzaville: federation president sentenced to life in prison.

Convicted of embezzlement and money laundering, Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, president of the Congolese Football Federation, was sentenced on Tuesday to life imprisonment by the Congolese judiciary.

The Congolese judiciary delivered a strong blow in a case that has shaken national football. The president of the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT), Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison following a judicial process related to the federation’s financial management.

According to the court’s findings, the official was found guilty of several serious offenses, notably money laundering, embezzlement, and falsification of administrative documents. The case centers on the disappearance of about $1.3 million in FIFA funding.

Absent during the trial, Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment. The court also handed down the same sentence on his wife and son, who were also involved in the case according to investigators. This judicial decision comes after nearly eight months of investigations conducted by the authorities of the Republic of the Congo. Investigators say they uncovered an opaque and fraudulent management system within the federation itself.