Sierra Leone ex-president to return after treason case dropped

Email: online@newsofbahrain.com

Freetown, Sierra Leone: Former Sierra Leone president Ernest Bai Koroma will return to his home country this weekend after treason charges against him stemming from a failed 2023 coup attempt were dropped. 

Vice President Mohamed Jukdeh Jalloh announced Koroma's return during a gathering in Makeni, stating the move was made in the spirit of peace and national cohesion.

Koroma, who led the West African nation from 2007 to 2018, left for Nigeria in 2024 shortly after being charged with treason. 

Judicial authorities initially cleared him to remain in Nigeria for three months for medical treatment, but he ended up staying for over two years.

In July, Sierra Leone's justice ministry dropped all charges against him without giving a reason.

The charges followed a November 2023 attack where armed assailants stormed a military armoury, two barracks, two prisons, and two police stations. 

Twenty-one people were killed, and hundreds of prisoners escaped before authorities regained control. A military court later sentenced two dozen soldiers and Koroma's former bodyguard to prison terms ranging from 50 to 100 years.

Koroma previously made a brief visit to Sierra Leone in July for an ECOWAS summit at the invitation of President Julius Maada Bio. His permanent return comes ahead of presidential elections set for 2028.