The Sierra Leone government has withdrawn all charges, including treason, against former President Ernest Bai Koroma, who was detained over an alleged coup attempt close to three years ago.
Information Minister Chernor Bah said the charges were dismissed on health grounds, according to the BBC.
The 72‑year‑old ex‑president has consistently denied any role in the November 2023 coup attempt, during which armed men seized a weapons depot and multiple prisons, releasing nearly 2,000 inmates.
Responding to the dismissal of his case, Koroma said he remains convinced that “peace, justice and reconciliation must always triumph over adversity.”
In his statement on Tuesday, Koroma thanked Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for their support.
Following Koroma’s indictment and house arrest, ECOWAS mediated an agreement with Sierra Leone’s government that permitted the former president to seek exile in Nigeria and obtain medical treatment there.
The attorney general subsequently filed to discontinue the proceedings against Koroma, Bah said.
“The former president is therefore free to return to Sierra Leone whenever he wishes and to resume his normal activities,” he added.
Koroma served as Sierra Leone’s leader for 11 years, stepping down in 2018 when the current President Julius Maada Bio was elected.
Eleven civilians and 24 soldiers were convicted of participating in the coup bid and were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in 2024.
Approximately 20 people were killed during the uprising, which followed a disputed election five months earlier in which President Bio secured a narrow second‑term victory.
The election outcome was rejected by Koroma’s All People’s Congress, while international observers also raised concerns about a lack of transparency in the voting count.