Sierra Leone drops treason charges against former President Koroma while convicted coup participants remain imprisoned

Sierra Leone's government has dropped treason and other charges against former President Ernest Bai Koroma, BBC News reported. The attorney general filed to discontinue the case after the charges were withdrawn on health grounds, Information Minister Chernor Bah said. Koroma, 72, has lived in exile in Nigeria since January 2024.

He was arrested in connection with an attempted coup in November 2023 in which gunmen raided a military armoury and several prisons, freeing nearly 2,000 inmates and killing around 20 people. Koroma has always denied involvement. " He thanked Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and the West African regional bloc Ecowas for their support.

Ecowas brokered a deal allowing Koroma to leave house arrest and seek medical attention in Nigeria. Bah said the former president is now free to return to Sierra Leone at a time of his choosing and resume normal activities. Koroma led Sierra Leone for 11 years until 2018.

Eleven civilians and 24 soldiers were convicted of involvement in the coup attempt and received long prison terms in 2024. The uprising followed a disputed election in which Bio was narrowly re-elected; Koroma's All People's Congress rejected the results, and international observers noted a lack of transparency in the count.