Acquitted by the ICC, he is still facing a 20-year prison sentence and a fine of 329 billion CFA francs (about 500 million euros) in the so-called “BCEAO heist” case. The others convicted in this case have benefited from an amnesty which they hope will be extended to Laurent Gbagbo.
From the verdict handed down on January 18, 2018 by the Supreme Court of Abidjan, not a day in prison was served, not a franc paid.
Left free at the end of the trial, Laurent Gbagbo’s last prime minister, Gilbert Aké N’Gbo, and his finance minister Désiré Diallo, benefited seven months later from the amnesty order issued by Alassane Ouattara in favor of more than 800 actors of the post-election crisis. The same was true for the fourth convicted person, Justin Koné Katinan, former Minister of the Budget, who was in exile in Ghana at the time.
Specifically excluded from the presidential amnesty were military personnel and members of armed groups imprisoned for blood crimes, and persons “on trial before an international criminal court,” primarily Laurent Gbagbo.
After his acquittal by the ICC, those close to him believe that the former president now falls within the “scope” of the amnesty. They hope for a “political resolution” but assure that this is not a “prerequisite” for the return of the former president.
“The government would be taking a courageous step by extending the amnesty,” said Mathurin Dirabo, who defended the four men during the trial.
On the side of the Ivorian Movement for Human Rights, which had opposed the order, Drissa Bamba considers the conviction “still valid” but he does not believe that the government will enforce it.