Ivory Coast president pardons predecessor Gbagbo to boost "social cohesion"
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Loading... - Esti Tanyi
- 31 Aug 2022
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Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on Saturday said he had offered a presidential pardon to longtime rival Laurent Gbagbo, as part of a reconciliation drive with his predecessors ahead of elections in 2025.
Gbagbo, president from 2000-2011, returned to Ivory Coast last year after being acquitted in 2019 by the Hague on war crimes charges for his role in a civil war sparked by his refusal to concede defeat after the 2010 election.
Back home, he still faced a 20-year prison sentence for a 2019 conviction linked to the robbery of funds from the Abidjan central bank during the post-election period. He has always denied the charges.
"In order to further strengthen social cohesion, I have signed a decree granting a presidential pardon to Laurent Gbagbo," Ouattara said in a televised speech to the nation ahead of its independence day on Sunday.
He said he had also asked for Gbagbo's accounts to be unfrozen and for the payment of the arrears of his presidential lifetime annuity.
The decision follows a rare meeting in July between Ouattara, Gbagbo, and former president Henri Konan Bedie. Read More...
