Sierra Leone’s government has annulled the treason and conspiracy charges that were levied against former president Ernest Bai Koroma following an alleged coup attempt in November 2023.
The charges, which had included the crime of treason, were dismissed with no public explanation as to why the state had decided to drop them. Koroma, who has consistently denied any involvement, had been held under house arrest and later exiled to Nigeria in a deal mediated by the West African regional bloc entity Ecowas, before being permitted to return home.
In a statement released after the ruling, Koroma thanked the current Sierra Leonean president, Julius Maada Bio, Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu and Ecowas for their support. He reiterated his belief that peace, justice and reconciliation must always win over conflict.
The November coup attempt itself freed nearly 2,000 inmates and saw 20 people killed. It followed a contested election in which Bio was narrowly re‑elected for a second term, a result rejected by Koroma’s All People's Congress and criticized by international observers for lack of transparency.
With the charges against Koroma removed, the former president faces no legal impediment to returning to Sierra Leone, marking a potential milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to move past a period of political instability.
