Ivory Coast: expected return of Laurent Gbagbo, what are the scenarios?
Laurent Gbagbo (our photo) will he return to Côte d'Ivoire in March?
Pool / AFP / File
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3 min
While supporters of the former Ivorian president have announced his return to Côte d'Ivoire for mid-March, the appeals chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will render its decision in the Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé case Goudé by March 31 at the latest, prosecutor Fatou Bensouda having appealed against their acquittal in September 2019. Several scenarios are possible with regard to the former Ivorian president but two are to be favored.
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The five judges of the appeals chamber could either confirm the acquittal or decide to restart the trial on the basis of the same charges of crimes against humanity.
In this case, it would be necessary to start all over again.
And, in the latter case, would that imply a return of Laurent Gbagbo to Brussels under house arrest or to The Hague, in prison?
No details on this subject for the moment.
So this is the biggest uncertainty.
We know that the Ivorian authorities have always maintained that Laurent Gbagbo could only return to his country once the Court's decision has been rendered.
The novelty since yesterday is that this decision of the judges must be made no later than March 31;
but it could of course intervene sooner.
Five judges
It is also necessary to know, it is that the five judges called upon to decide between acquittal or new trial are not those who ruled during the trial in first instance.
These new judges are said to be divided on the decision to be taken, but we do not know which way the scales are tipping.
Their number necessarily implies that there will be a majority for or against, since they are five.
In any case, on the spot in Côte d'Ivoire, the return of Laurent Gbagbo has been the subject of negotiations between his supporters and the government since November.
He has already received his passports in December 2020. And, ten days ago, his supporters were already impatient with the lack of progress in this process.
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To read also: Ivory Coast: towards a return of Laurent Gbagbo in March?
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