Ivory Coast: Guillaume Soro sentenced to 20 years in prison

Guillaume Soro in Paris, January 29, 2020. Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP

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The former head of the Ivorian rebellion and presidential candidate in October 2020 was sentenced to 20 years in prison for "concealment of embezzlement of public funds" and "money laundering" by the Abidjan correctional court after 'a hearing boycotted by his lawyers.

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Accused of having bought his Abidjan residence in 2007 with public funds when he was Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro, who lives in France, was sentenced to "  20 years' imprisonment, 4.5 billion FCFA in fines  (6.8 million euros), the confiscation  of his house and the deprivation of civil rights for 5 years. A new arrest warrant has been issued against the former President of the National Assembly who, barring a fruitful appeal, is thus prohibited from standing for the October presidential election.

The verdict was pronounced after a trial of several hours in which lawyers for the former rebel refused to participate. The defense claims that the charges against Guillaume Soro, currently in exile in Europe, are primarily aimed at preventing the former president of the Ivorian National Assembly from participating in the presidential election.

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  • Ivory Coast
  • Guillaume Soro
  • Justice

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