The president of the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT), Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty in a major corruption case that has rocked football administration in the country.

A court delivered the ruling on Tuesday following months of investigation and legal proceedings into alleged financial misconduct within the federation. Mayolas was convicted of multiple offences, including money laundering, embezzlement, and forgery. He did not appear in court for the hearing and was sentenced in absentia. The court also handed life sentences to his wife and son, who were implicated in the case.

Prosecutors revealed that the case centred on the misappropriation of funds allocated to FECOFOOT by FIFA. Documents presented during the trial indicated that Mayolas allegedly diverted nearly $1.3 million intended for football development programmes. Investigators said the funds were siphoned through a network of fraudulent transactions and falsified financial records.

Other senior officials within the federation were also implicated. FECOFOOT’s general secretary, Badji Mombo Wantete, and treasurer, Raoul Kanda, were each sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of their roles in the financial irregularities.

Authorities noted that the verdict follows eight months of extensive investigations, which uncovered what prosecutors described as a deeply entrenched system of fraudulent financial management within the federation.