Coup leader vows to wipe out corruption

The leader of Guinea’s coup declared a zero-tolerance policy on corruption, warning that anyone who embezzles state funds will be executed.

“For the person who embezzles money, there won’t be a trial. They’ll be killed,” Capt. Moussa Camara said as the crowd went wild. “I was born in a hut. I walked to school. . . . Money means nothing to me.”

Guinea is the world’s largest producer of bauxite, the raw material used to make aluminum, and also produces diamonds and gold. Yet its mineral wealth has enriched only the country’s longtime ruling clique.

The West African nation has been ruled by just two people since gaining independence from France half a century ago. Dictator Lansana Conte died Monday, and the junta led by Camara declared the coup a day later.