Ivory Coast: Blé Goudé defenders withdraw from court proceedings

The lawyers of the former head of the Ivorian Young Patriots, Charles Blé Goudé, who was the subject of legal proceedings in Côte d’Ivoire, announced on Wednesday their withdrawal, saying they « can not play their full role as defenders ».

Mr. Blé Goudé is prosecuted in Côte d’Ivoire for « crimes against civilians and prisoners of war », a procedure before the investigating chamber of the Abidjan court which, after analysis, could or could not transmit the case for a trial at the assizes.

« We deported ourselves (withdrawn) from this file, because there was a master piece that concerned the transfer of Charles Blé Goudé to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 21, 2014, which was not there the last time, « says Claver Ndry, one of Mr Blé Goudé’s supporters.

« This document was handed to us on Tuesday, November 5 at 12:26, ​​while the deadline for filing the brief was fixed at 3 pm of the same day, it was physically impossible for lawyers to file their brief, » he said. for follow-up. « We therefore requested another referral to a week (…) that was denied ». The procedure has already been postponed twice since 23 October.

Charles Blé Goudé, acquitted at first instance of crimes against humanity by the ICC, is currently on parole in the Netherlands pending examination of the prosecutor’s appeal by the ICC.

Amazing lawyers
The « Ivorian justice, which had abandoned its sovereignty in favor of an international jurisdiction, seized again the file to know of these same facts as by extraordinary » surprised the lawyer. « Lawyers are not the hubcaps (a decoration) for justice ».

For Claver Ndry, the charges of « crimes against civilians and prisoners of war » no longer exist in the Ivorian code, they have been replaced by war crimes and crimes against humanity for which (his ) customer has been acquitted.

Elected in August in Abidjan at the head of his party, Mr. Blé Goudé, who admitted having long-term presidential ambitions (after 2020), was in the 2000s nicknamed « the general of the streets » for his ability to mobilize the supporters of the then president, Laurent Gbagbo, thanks to the Young Patriots movement, often called a militia.

Its detractors and international NGOs consider that Mr. Blé Goudé was one of the main actors in the escalation of tension in Côte d’Ivoire in the 2000s, which culminated in 2010-2011 in the post-election violence that caused more of 3,000 dead.