Former Sierra Leone President Ernest Koroma was allowed to see a doctor in Nigeria. According to a BBC report, he received permission from Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court.
Mr. Koroma was arrested and charged with treason, false conviction of treason, and two counts of suspicion. He was later granted bail that did not allow him to leave his house without permission from the Inspector General of Police.
The government of Sierra Leone had previously stated that the trial in the former president’s case would resume today, January 17, as it stood ready to call witnesses.The permission granted Mr Koroma is coming amid rumours that he had agreed to go on exile in Nigeria if all charges against him were dropped.
According to the BBC, anonymous sources from the United Nations and ECOWAS said the sub-regional bloc (ECOWAS) had brokered a deal for Mr Koroma to go into exile in Nigeria if the charges were dropped.
The BBC also saw a letter saying Mr Koroma had agreed to the deal, which would see him continue to enjoy the perks of a former president even while in Nigeria.
However, Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minster Timothy Kabba told the BBC the government did not support the proposal, describing it as a “unilateral proposition” by the president of the ECOWAS Commission.
Mr Koroma was president of the West African country for 11 years until 2018 when current President Julius Bio succeeded him
