The prosecutor of the Cote d’Ivoire, Richard Adou, on Wednesday demanded life imprisonment against the former national assembly speaker Guillaume Soro in the case of conspiracy against the authority of the State.
“I request that the court declare Guillaume Soro guilty of the charges he is facing and sentence him to life imprisonment,” prosecutor Adou said.
Mr. Soro “has been himself in the maneuver and this is not new. He still has nostalgia for the rebellion even when he is outside the Ivorian borders,” he added.
According to Prosecutor, Guillaume Soro is “guilty” of conspiracy, undermining the authority of the state and the integrity of national territory.
The prosecution also requested 20 years in prison for Koné Kamaraté Souleymane, known as Soul To Soul, the head of protocol, and the elements of his bodyguard.
He considered that the former MP Alain Lobognon and Soro’s brothers, Simon and Soro are not guilty of conspiracy against the authority of the State, but rather of disturbing public order, requiring 17 months in prison.
Mr. Sékongo, whom he judged not guilty of conspiracy against the authority of the State, but rather guilty of disturbing the peace, he also requested 17 months imprisonment.
In addition, the public prosecutor in his indictment called for the “dissolution” of Generations and People’s Solidarity (GPS), a citizens’ movement of which Guillaume Soro is the founding president.
Cote d’Ivoire’s State Counsel and the civil party, which say that the facts are true, pleaded with the court to pay a fine of 5 billion CFA francs.
Following the indictment, the pleadings took place. The court, having heard the different parties, will give its ruling on June 23, 2021.
AP/ls/lb/abj/APA