Sierra Leone has officially dropped all treason charges against former President Ernest Bai Koroma, ending a high-profile legal case linked to the alleged 2023 coup attempt. The Ministry of Justice announced on July 14 that all criminal proceedings against the former head of state had been discontinued, clearing the way for Koroma to return home whenever he chooses.
Koroma, who served as Sierra Leone’s president from 2007 to 2018, had been charged with treason and several related offences in January 2024 over his alleged involvement in what the government described as an attempted coup.
Free to return home
Following his indictment, the former president travelled to Nigeria for medical treatment and has remained there ever since. With the charges now withdrawn, the Sierra Leonean authorities said Koroma is free to return to the country « at the end of his medical treatment or at any time of his choice. » The Justice Ministry did not provide any explanation for its decision to discontinue the case.
Koroma thanks Bio and Tinubu
In his first reaction, Ernest Bai Koroma expressed gratitude to President Julius Maada Bio for the decision. He also thanked Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for his « support, hospitality and friendship » since his arrival in Abuja.
The 2023 alleged coup attempt
The charges stemmed from violent events in November 2023, when armed attackers targeted military barracks, an armoury and several prisons across Sierra Leone. The government described the coordinated attacks as an attempted coup. The violence left at least 21 people dead and resulted in the escape of more than 2,000 inmates from detention facilities, triggering one of the country’s most serious security crises in recent years. The withdrawal of the charges marks a significant political development in Sierra Leone and could ease tensions surrounding one of the country’s most controversial legal cases since the unrest.
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