Sierra Leone’s former President, Ernest Bai Koroma, is facing charges of treason and other offences related to his alleged involvement in a failed military coup attempt that targeted the West African nation’s government in November. The charges were filed in a Freetown court on Wednesday, potentially exacerbating the already heightened tensions in Sierra Leone, following the attempted coup and a controversial election that saw President Julius Maada Bio secure a second term in June 2023.
Sierra Leone has been grappling with rising tensions, with scars from a brutal 1991-2002 civil war still fresh, claiming over 50,000 lives. The election outcome was disputed by the main opposition candidate and questioned by international partners, including the United States and the European Union.
On November 26, unidentified gunmen launched attacks on military barracks, a prison, and various locations in Sierra Leone, resulting in the release of approximately 2,200 inmates and the loss of more than 20 lives. The government later identified it as a foiled coup, primarily orchestrated by Koroma’s bodyguards. In early December, they summoned the former president for questioning.
Koroma, who condemned the attacks in a statement shortly after they occurred, now faces a series of charges, including misprison of treason and two counts of harbouring. These charges were read out to him as he stood in the courtroom, prompting some of his supporters to break into tears.
Joseph Kamara, Koroma’s lawyer, expressed concern over the charges, stating, “A dangerous precedent has been set… We are dragging a former head of state – democratically elected – on trumped up charges under a political vendetta.”
Later on Wednesday, a high court granted bail to the former president, who is currently under house arrest in the capital. The case has been adjourned until January 17. If found guilty of treason, under Sierra Leone’s penal code, a person could face life imprisonment.
In a letter dated Tuesday from West Africa’s main regional bloc, ECOWAS, it was revealed that Nigeria had offered temporary refuge to Koroma, and the former president had accepted the offer. However, Sierra Leone’s foreign minister, Timothy Kabba, stated that the government would not entertain the proposal to relocate Koroma, contradicting the letter’s contents.
The government has also charged twelve other individuals with treason in connection to the failed coup, including former police and correctional officers, as well as a member of Koroma’s security detail.
