- Koroma charged with treason
- Failed rebellion aftermath
- Disputed elections lead turmoil
In connection with a failed rebellion, the former president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, has been charged with treason and other offences.
In November of last year, gunmen stormed a military armoury and multiple institutions in Freetown, releasing nearly 2,000 inmates.
He has refuted any responsibility for the attack that claimed the lives of approximately twenty individuals.
West African leaders attempted to broker an agreement for Mr. Koroma to enter exile in Nigeria in exchange for the charges being withdrawn.
According to Mr. Koroma, he had consented to the agreement, which Ecowas, a regional organisation, had mediated.
Timothy Kabba, the foreign minister of Sierra Leone, informed that his government did not endorse the “unilateral proposition” put forth by the president of the Ecowas Commission.
A number of Mr. Koroma’s supporters wept in court during the reading of the charges.
Joseph Kamara, the attorney for the former president, expressed “utter disbelief and shock” and described the charges as setting a “dangerous precedent.” He remarked, “A dark cloud has obscured the skies of our nation, signifying that we are dragging a democratically elected former head of state through the mud on fabricated charges out of a political grudge.”
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House detention has been imposed on Mr. Koroma ever since he was questioned regarding the coup.
Eleven years passed before the inauguration of the current President Julius Maada Bio in 2018.
Twelve others were also charged on Tuesday in connection with the attempted rebellion, including one of Mr. Koroma’s former bodyguards.
Dankay Koroma, the daughter of the former president, was previously included on a police sought suspects list. She has refrained from providing any commentary.
After President Bio narrowly won a second term, a coup attempt happened five months later.
The All People’s Congress, led by Mr. Koroma, rejected the results. The elections faced criticism from international observers, who emphasized the absence of transparency in the tally process.
