The 46 Ivorian soldiers arrested and detained in Mali since July 10 could be spirited for trial in a special hearing on Thursday.
Their case represents an imbroglio.
The soldiers were indicted last August for “attempting to undermine the external security of the State” by the Public Prosecutor of the Specialized Judicial Pole of the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime at the High Court of Commune VI in Bamako.
Some sources contacted by APA say the indictment chamber of the Bamako Court of Appeal has referred the case of these special detainees for trial.
Coincidentally or not, the decision of the Indictment Division of the Court of Appeal, referring the case for trial comes less than a week after the visit to Bamako of an Ivorian delegation led by the Minister of State, Minister of Defense, Brehima Tene Ouattara.
During the visit, the younger brother of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara signed a memorandum with Malian authorities to “promote peace, also, work to strengthen relations of friendship and good neighborliness between the two countries to converge in a positive dynamic to overcome this event”.
But according to the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the settlement of this dispute must be done in accordance with the legal procedures already underway.
For the crime targeted by the Malian justice system, the 46 Ivorian soldiers face a criminal sentence of ten to twenty years.
This heavy sentence, if brought against the soldiers, could further aggravate relations between Bamako and Abidjan.
However, both capitals are firmly committed to a peaceful resolution of this case, reports indicate.
According to several observers, this scenario will be avoided by reclassifying the facts in order to obtain a sentence that covers the length of time the defendants were held in pre-trial detention.
However, a West African jurist contacted by APA maintains that such a scheme risks making the Malian junta lose face, which from the start has clung to allegations about destabilizing the transition.
Abidjan reject the accusation, stating that the soldiers in question belong to the army and went to Mali as part of a UN mission.
The possibility of a presidential pardon has also been raised by some sources.
If they are found guilty of the charges against them, the Ivorian soldiers could benefit from the clemency of Mali’s transition head, Assimi Goita.
AC/cgd/fss/as/APA