Sierra Leone tries 14 coup plot suspects

The long awaited trial of a group of soldiers accused of involvement in mutiny/coup in Sierra Leone finally began on Wednesday.

Fourteen men, all dressed in what looked like fresh military fatigues and handcuffed, appeared in public at a pre-trial hearing at the headquarters of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces in western Freetown.

The accused, all junior officers, except for one captain, were rounded up following reports last August that they had planned to kidnap President Ernest Bai Koroma during a scheduled visit to his hometown of Makeni.

They also allegedly intended to kill the head of the army during what the government described as a mutiny and coup.

The matter received wide publicity as it raised debate around the welfare of military personnel in the country as well as ethnicity within the force.

It also led to a brief crackdown on the opposition, some of whose members were erroneously called in for questioning.

Civil society and family members of the accused had decried the delayed trial which the government had blamed on inability to secure funding for the process.

The accused are being represented by three lawyers while the state is being represented by four attorneys.

On Wednesday, the Judge Advocate took his oath of office in front of the court. But after that, the rest of the day was almost entirely dominated by a feisty draw over his eligibility to preside over the court marshal trial.

Besides his qualification, the defence unsuccessfully questioned the process of appointment of the judge, citing the flouting of appropriate constitutional provisions.

Since their initial arrest, the accused have been detained at the maximum security Pademba Road Prison in Freetown, where family members complained that they`d been prevented from visiting.