Former President Ernest Bai Koroma, who is standing trial for his alleged involvement in the November 26th failed coup attempt has been granted bail, today, Wednesday, 17th November 2024 by the high court of Sierra Leone on medical grounds. This implies that the former President could now travel to Nigeria, unlike the government’s dismissal of the request made by authorities of ECOWAS to allow Koroma to travel to Nigeria earlier.
It would be recalled that Ex-President Koroma was confined under house arrest following the outburst of the November 26th incident that was initially estimated as a security breach and later assessed as a failed Coup attempt by the Government of Sierra Leone.
The allegation of his involvement in the failed coup attempt left Koroma with a court order that confined him under House Arrest, barred him from traveling, and the number of visitors limited to not more than three persons during the Preliminary Investigation.
Koroma made his second appearance in Court today, Wednesday, 15th January, 2024. In the legal tussle that ensued, Koroma Lawyers filed a High Court bail application to vary the High Court orders initially placed on the former President during the preliminary investigation. In the end, the High Court dismissed its initial High Court Orders by which the Magistrate presiding over the matter ruled in favour of his lawyers and granted him bail, granted him bail to enable him to make a trip abroad for medical attention.
The matter was adjourned to March, three months from today but has been given 9 months’ fiat to stay abroad.
