Ivory Coast – An Ivorian court on Tuesday sentenced former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who has been living in exile since December 2019, to 20 years in prison for corruption.
This is a ruling that is likely to end Soro’s political ambitions with just seven months to go before the presidential election, for which he remains a candidate.
Soro was found guilty of “embezzlement of public funds” and “money laundering” when he bought his Abidjan residence in 2007 when he was Prime Minister.
Soro, 47, was sentenced to 20 years in jail, 4.5 billion FCFA (6.8 million euros) in fines, the confiscation of his house, deprivation of his civil rights, and ordered to pay 2 billion FCFA (3 million euros) in damages to the state of Cote d’Ivoire.
