High Court Adjourns Decision on Dismissal Appeal

Mali’s Supreme Court has adjourned its ruling in the case of Professor Clément Mamadou Dembélé, setting a new decision date of August 4, 2026. The hearing took place on Monday, July 20, 2026, marking the latest development in a legal process that has stretched for nearly three years.

Dembélé, an academic and president of the Platform for the Fight against Corruption and Unemployment (PCC), has been at the center of a judicial saga that began with his arrest on November 17, 2023. He was placed under a detention warrant following allegations that he made death threats against Mali’s transitional president, General Assimi Goïta, in a recording that circulated on social media.

Technical Expertise Cast Doubt on Key Evidence

As early as March 2024, a technical expertise concluded that the voice in the incriminating recording was not that of Clément Dembélé. Based on this finding, the investigating judge of the 1st chamber of the National Cybercrime Unit ordered his provisional release in April 2024. However, the prosecution opposed the release and appealed, prolonging his detention.

After additional months of investigation, the same judge issued a full dismissal order on April 17, 2025, determining that the charges against Dembélé were not sufficiently substantiated to warrant a trial. Despite this order, which should have led to his release, the public prosecutor’s office filed further appeals, keeping the case before higher courts. As a result, Dembélé remained incarcerated.

Procedural Hurdles at the Supreme Court

Dembélé’s defense team then appealed to the Supreme Court to confirm the investigating judge’s dismissal order. In mid-June 2026, the criminal chamber of the high court initially declared the appeal inadmissible on procedural grounds. According to reports, the court cited the absence of a receipt for 10,000 FCFA proving payment related to the transfer of the case to the Supreme Court—a document the magistrates deemed essential for reviewing the case.

Despite that procedural setback, the Supreme Court scheduled Monday’s hearing, during which it examined the challenge to the dismissal order. Following the proceedings, the court reserved its judgment, with the decision now expected on August 4, 2026.

International Calls for Release

The continued detention of Clément Dembélé, despite a dismissal order, has drawn international attention. In August 2025, independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council publicly called for his immediate and unconditional release, urging Malian authorities to comply with the investigating judge’s decision.

For the defense, the position remains unchanged. It continues to rely on the technical expertise that concluded there were insufficient charges against their client. The question now is whether the Supreme Court will confirm that interpretation on August 4, or whether the case will take another turn.