Ernest Bai Koroma: The former president of Sierra Leone is accused of treason over the attempted coup

Former Sierra Leone president Ernest Bai Koroma has been charged with four counts of treason in connection with the attempted coup.

Last November, gunmen stormed a military weapons depot and several prisons in Freetown, freeing nearly 2,000 prisoners.

He denied any involvement in the attack, which killed about 20 people.

The BBC has learned that West African leaders tried to broker an agreement under which Koroma would go into exile in Nigeria if the charges against him were dropped.

The BBC has seen a letter saying Koroma had agreed to the deal brokered by the regional group ECOWAS.

However, Sierra Leone's Foreign Minister Timothy Kaba told the BBC that the government did not support the proposal which he described as a “unilateral proposal” by the ECOWAS Commission chair.

Some of Koroma's supporters cried in court as the charges were read out.

The former president's lawyer, Joseph Kamara, told the BBC that he was “shocked and completely in disbelief,” saying the accusations set a “dangerous precedent.” The head of state – democratically elected – on trumped-up charges as part of a political vendetta.”

Koroma has been under house arrest since his interrogation regarding the coup.

He was president for 11 years until 2018, when current president Julius Maada Bio was elected.

On Tuesday, 12 other people were charged in connection with the attempted coup, including one of Mr. Koroma's former bodyguards.

The former president's daughter, Dankai Koroma, was previously included on the list of suspects wanted by the police. Did not comment.

The coup attempt came five months after a disputed election that saw President Bio narrowly re-elected for a second term.

The results were rejected by Koroma's All People's Congress. International observers also criticized the elections, highlighting the lack of transparency in the vote counting process.

Additional reporting by Thomas Nadi in Accra