Ivory Coast’s public prosecutor on Thursday said the former rebel leader and a candidate in the 2020 presidential election, Guillaume Soro, could face life in prison over an alleged coup plot that involved amassing weapons, reported Reuters.
An arrest warrant was issued for Soro on Monday, prompting him to call off a planned homecoming after months overseas.
During a news conference, Prosecutor Richard Adou played a recording made by the Ivorian intelligence services in which Soro could allegedly be heard planning a coup.
“The penalty for attempting a plot against state security is a life sentence,” Adou said.
The prosecutor added that investigation into the matter was ongoing. He said so far, more than 15 people have been arrested in connection with the investigation, which includes charges of money-laundering and amassing illegal weapons.
“Searches of homes of the accused parties, including Soro, uncovered arms such as anti-tank missiles, RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), Kalashnikovs, and ammunition,” the prosecutor said.
Soro’s lawyer and spokeswoman Affoussy Bamba Lamine did not question the authenticity of the audio recording presented by prosecutors but said the recording was from 2017 and incomplete.
In a video posted on Facebook on Thursday, Lamine said Soro’s team would release a full version of the audio soon.
Soro is believed to be in Europe although his exact whereabouts are not currently known. He has said the case against him is completely politically motivated.
Soro’s arrest warrant has raised tensions in Ivory Coast, where deadly violence erupted between rival supporters during the 2010-2011 election. About 3,000 people were killed in the violence in the West African country that followed the victory of President Alassane Ouattara in a 2010 election.
The 47-year-old, Soro, led the rebels who tried and failed to oust then-president Laurent Gbagbo in 2002. His forces helped install Ouattara in the presidency in 2010. Soro was a former ally of President Ouattara, but the two fell out earlier this year.
