ECW/CCJ/JUD/03/07 Moussa Léo Kéita v. Mali
In the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS)
Holden at Bamako, Mali
This, 22nd day of March 2007
Between
Mr. Moussa Léo Kéita - Applicant
And
The State of Mali - Defendant
Composition of the Court
Hon. Justice Hanisne N. Donli - President
Hon. Justice Awa Nana Daboya - Member
Hon. Justice Dirarou S. Sidibe - Member
Athanase Atannon, Esq. - Registrar
Counsel to the Parties
Maître Mamadou Konaté, Jurifis Consult - For the Applicant
Mr. Moussa Kodio (Judge) Directorate General of the State Department for Disputes - For
the Defendant
Judgment
1. On 15 May 2006, Moussa Léo Kéita, a retired civil servant whose address is BP 757, Bamako
Mali, filed an Application at the Court of Justice of ECOWAS. The Application was registered at the
Registry of the Court on 12 July 2006.
2. This Application was accompanied by the following exhibits:
An extract from the 11 May 1969 issue of the Washington Post newspaper containing
some specimens of artifacts belonging to the Applicant and an evaluation of the artifacts as
done by James M. Silberman, valued at $65,960.
Certification No. 9/Dir.R/MN dated 24 November 1972, from the National Museum of Mali
relating to the collection of artifacts in the custody of Moussa Léo Kéita.
A letter from Moussa Léo Kéita dated 4 September 1972, addressed to Mali's Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; another, dated 9 January 1978 addressed to the same
Authority; and then that of 3 August 1989, for the same purposes. Through these letters,
the Applicant sought to reclaim his collection of artifacts.
3. The Application as well as the exhibits accompanying it was served on the Secretariat of the
Directorate General of the State Department for Disputes on 11 September 2006, by the
Chambers of Diawoye Kanté Esq., a Court Bailiff at Bamako.
4. Through this Application, Moussa Léo Kéita set out his submissions that he was the owner of a
collection of artifacts from his country, which he exhibited at the Embassy of Mali, to make Mali
more known to the Americans at the time he was representing his country as Ambassador
Extraordinary Plenipotentiary from 1965 to 1969. According to the Applicant, the collection
contained 110 articles originating from all the regions of Mali. These artifacts were evaluated in
1965 at 65,960 US Dollars by an expert known as Silberman of the Smithsanian Institute, USA.