Sierra Leone's government has officially dropped all charges against former President Ernest Bai Koroma, who was arrested in 2023 in connection with an attempted coup. The government did not provide a reason for dismissing the charges, which included treason.

Koroma, 72, has consistently denied any involvement in the November 2023 coup attempt, during which gunmen broke into a military armoury and several prisons, freeing nearly 2,000 inmates. The coup attempt resulted in around 20 deaths and occurred five months after a disputed election that saw President Julius Maada Bio narrowly re-elected for a second term amid criticism from international observers over the transparency of the vote count.

Following his arrest and house arrest, the West African regional bloc Ecowas brokered a deal with the Sierra Leonean government allowing Koroma to go into exile in Nigeria for medical treatment. On Tuesday, Sierra Leone's attorney general's office announced that Koroma was free to return to his home country.

In a statement, Koroma expressed his "enduring conviction that peace, justice and reconciliation must always triumph over adversity." He also thanked Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, and Ecowas for their support.

Koroma led Sierra Leone for 11 years until 2018, when President Bio was elected.

Sources