Sierra Leone’s government has discontinued the treason trial of former President Ernest Bai Koroma, clearing the way for his return home after more than two years in exile in Nigeria.
In a statement dated July 14, 2026, Koroma confirmed he had been notified by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice that criminal proceedings against him had been dropped “in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Sierra Leone.”
The charges were filed by the government of President Julius Maada Bio following a disputed 2023 election and a reported military coup attempt in November 2023. Koroma denied any involvement.
As part of ECOWAS-led mediation, Nigeria granted Koroma refuge in January 2024 under a court-sanctioned medical stay.
Koroma expressed gratitude to regional leaders for their intervention.
“I am especially indebted to His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the government and people of Nigeria… throughout the process,” he said.
He also thanked the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, former Heads of State, and “President Maada Bio and all those whose efforts guided by the constitution and the rule of law have contributed to bringing this matter to its conclusion.”
Diplomatic sources said with the discontinuation of the trial, Koroma is now free to return to Sierra Leone at any time.
President Bio had earlier said the court’s decision demonstrated his government’s “commitment to justice and goodwill,” and insisted the trial was not a political witch-hunt.
The development comes as Sierra Leone hosts ECOWAS statutory meetings in Freetown, ahead of a regional summit on July 19 where a new ECOWAS Commission leadership and Authority Chair are expected to emerge.
But analysts say Sierra Leone’s democracy remains fragile. According to the BTI 2026 Country Report, the “prolonged political stalemate following the 2023 elections” has weakened democratic institutions.
The report noted that “this government lacks legitimacy in the eyes of opposition members, their supporters and some external observers,” and called for full implementation of the Cross-Party Committee’s recommendations on party financing, the Electoral Commission, and use of state resources in campaigns.
It also urged an independent investigation into the August 2020 violent protests and the alleged November 2023 coup attempt.
President Bio’s one-year tenure as ECOWAS Authority Chair ends at the Freetown summit and is expected to face scrutiny over the bloc’s response to coups in the region.
Four ECOWAS member states are currently under military rule, while three others have withdrawn to form the Alliance of Sahel States, AES.
The crisis in Guinea-Bissau, where former President Umaro Sissoco Embaló organized a self-coup in November 2025, has become what diplomatic sources call “a litmus test” for ECOWAS.
Observers say the regional body is divided between political leaders and technocrats at the Commission over whether to bar Embaló and junta officials from future elections.
“Allowing Embaló to profit from a self-coup is not only a blatant violation of the ECOWAS protocol against unconstitutional change of government, but it will also amount to setting a dangerous precedent,” a source said.
