Moroni – Former Comorian President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi will be tried on charges of high treason, his lawyer and family said Monday, after spending four years in detention over corruption allegations.
The 64-year-old Sambi, who served as president from 2006-2011 and is the main opponent of current leader Azali Assoumani, has been held under house arrest since May 2018.
“This referral to the State Security Court constitutes the height of illegality and violation of the rules of procedure as well as the rights of the defence,” said his lawyer, Ahamada Mahamoudou.
The date of the trial has not been disclosed.
#Comoros Ex-president To Face Charges Of #HighTreason: Lawyer https://t.co/5t3hDQnXin
— heartforafrica (@aheartforafrica) November 8, 2022
Sambi was originally placed under house arrest for disturbing public order.
Three months later he was placed under pre-trial detention for embezzlement, corruption and forgery, over a scandal involving the sale of Comorian passports to stateless people living in Gulf nations.
But Sambi’s daughter Tisslame Sambi told AFP that the charge of high treason is “a crime which will justify a heavier sentence before the State Security Court, whose decisions are not subject to appeal”.
His lawyer has previously said that Sambi’s health had “deteriorated considerably” in detention.
The Comoros islands – Anjouan, Grande Comore and Moheli – have endured years of grinding poverty and political turmoil, including about 20 coups or attempted coups, since independence from France in 1975.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@AsaliyabibiTz
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