S/Leone Ex-president Koroma Faces Treason Charges Over Attrmpted Coup
Sierra Leone’s ex-president, Ernest Koroma, was charged with treason on Wednesday for his alleged role in a failed coup attempt in November. The charges arose from an attack on military and security facilities that left 21 dead and raised concerns about instability in West Africa.
Last November, gunmen broke into a military armoury and several prisons in Freetown, freeing almost 2,000 inmates.
He has denied any involvement in the attack which killed about 20 people.
West African leaders had tried to broker a deal for Mr Koroma to go into exile in Nigeria if the charges were dropped, the BBC understands.
The Summit Post News has seen a letter saying Mr Koroma had agreed to the deal, brokered by the regional group, Ecowas.
However, Sierra Leone Foreign Minster Timothy Kabba told the BBC the government did not support the proposal, which he described as a “unilateral proposition” by the president of the Ecowas Commission.
Some of Mr Koroma’s supporters cried in court as the charges were read out.