OUAGADOUGOU (IRIN) - Sixteen people arrested in Burkina Faso for planning an alleged coup against President Blaise Campaore are to be charged before a military tribunal for "conspiracy against state security," the government said on Friday.
| Oh, no! Not a military tribunal! |
The alleged mastermind of the plot, Captain Luther Diapagri Oualy, will also face treason charges, it added.
| Luther's in large trouble... |
"The results of our investigations allow us to have no doubt about the reality of the destabilisation attempt and the obvious involvement of foreign countries," Abdoulaye Barry, the prosecutor general, told a news conference in the capital, Ouagadougou, on Friday.
| When you say "Ouagadougou" in my neck of the woods, it makes little kids giggle. Try it sometime... |
He once more declined to name the countries involved, saying it would be up to the presiding judge at the trial to do give full details. Barry said earlier this month that Oualy held meetings with officials in Cote d'Ivoire and Togo in September, but both countries have denied any involvement in the conspiracy.
Barry said investigations were now complete and the plotters would be tried in a military court since 14 of them were soldiers. If found guilty, they faced prison terms ranging from five years to life imprisonment, he added.
| No firing squads? Shucks. |
The highest ranking soldier being held is Commander Bernadin Poda who was working in the accounts department of the army. He is suspected to have siphoned out money from the army to finance preparations for the coup. |