Sierra Leone Drops Treason Charges Against Koroma

Sierra Leonean authorities formally dismissed treason and related charges against former President Ernest Bai Koroma on Tuesday, effectively ending the legal proceedings stemming from a failed coup attempt in November 2023. The Attorney General’s office confirmed the decision, which permits the 72-year-old former leader to return to the country from his current exile in Nigeria.

The legal reversal follows a diplomatic intervention led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which facilitated Koroma’s departure for medical treatment earlier this year. The initial charges were brought after gunmen breached a military armory and multiple prisons, resulting in approximately 20 deaths and the release of nearly 2,000 inmates. The government has provided no specific justification for the sudden dismissal of the case.

The attempted insurrection occurred five months after a contested general election in which President Julius Maada Bio secured a second term. The results were formally rejected by Koroma’s All People’s Congress party, and international observers subsequently raised concerns regarding the transparency of the electoral process. The withdrawal of charges marks a significant shift in the political climate, potentially easing tensions between the current administration and the opposition party that Koroma led for over a decade.