In a press briefing at the United Nations Security Council Press Stakeout Area, Sierra Leone’s President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, emphasized his commitment to ensuring that justice is served in the ongoing treason case involving former President Ernest Bai Koroma.
“President Ernest Bai Koroma is currently in Nigeria, and all necessary steps to make sure that justice is served as far as everybody that was concerned in the alleged coup plot will be enforced,” Bio stated in response to a question by VOA reporter on Monday.
The former president traveled to Nigeria after being granted permission for urgent medical treatment by the High Court in Freetown. The court had earlier adjourned Koroma’s treason case to November 18, 2024, after the defense failed to produce the former president for the hearing, citing his medical absence in Nigeria.
The charges against Koroma include four counts: treason, misprision of treason, and two counts of harboring individuals involved in the alleged coup plot.
The indictment alleges that between November 5th and November 26th, 2023, Koroma prepared to overthrow the government of Sierra Leone by unlawful means.
Furthermore, he is accused of harboring several individuals in his residence who were allegedly involved in the plot. The police claim that on November 29, 2023, in Makeni, Koroma knowingly concealed the treasonous activities of Soriba Mansaray, Ibrahim Thorlu Bangura, and Yapo Sesay.
During a funeral service for 18 soldiers who lost their lives in the November 26 attack, President Bio vowed to ensure that all those involved in the attempted coup would face the full force of the law.
“My government is treating the coup attempt purely as a matter of law and order, not a political, tribal, or religious matter,” he declared in a State of the Nation Address shortly after the attack.
The closed-door meeting between the Director of Public Prosecution, Osman Kanu, defense counsel Saidu Bangura, and Magistrate Bangura led to the case’s adjournment, heightening tensions as the nation awaits the next court session in November.
