Sierra Leone drops treason case against former president Koroma

Sierra Leone has discontinued treason proceedings against former president Ernest Bai Koroma over his alleged role in what authorities described as an attempted coup in 2023, officials said on Tuesday.

Koroma, who led Sierra Leone from 2007 to 2018, was charged in January 2024 with treason and other offences. Later that month, judicial authorities allowed him to travel to Nigeria for medical treatment for up to three months. He did not return to Sierra Leone.

The Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice said it had filed a notice to discontinue the criminal proceedings. The statement said Koroma was free to return to Sierra Leone after completing medical treatment or at any time he chooses.

The statement did not give a reason for ending the case. Political insiders believe the government wants to promote national unity.

The charges followed violence in November 2023, when armed attackers entered a military armoury, two barracks, two prisons and two police stations and fought security forces. Twenty-one people were killed and hundreds of prisoners escaped before authorities regained control. Authorities described the violence as a coup attempt by members of the armed forces. At least 80 people, most of them military personnel, were arrested in connection with the clashes.