This Wednesday, December 09, Minister Sidi Tiémoko Touré, the spokesperson for the Ivorian government maintained that the return to Côte d’Ivoire of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo does not depend on the head of state Alassane Ouattara.
“(…) I remind you that he (Mr. Gbagbo) is still under appeal proceedings at the level of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and as regards Côte d’Ivoire, there is a legal proceedings which are also initiated at this level. So his return depends on justice, it does not depend on President Ouattara ”, indicated Mr. Touré after a Council of Ministers chaired by Mr. Ouattara at the presidential palace in Abidjan.
And to add “The procedure for issuing the passport is well known to everyone and it is this course that was in operation. This course has expired … The President of the Republic gave him the right to a diplomatic passport because it is a courtesy passport which is at the sole discretion of the President of the Republic ”, explained Mr. Sidi Tiémoko Touré .
As a reminder, on December 04, President Laurent Gbagbo received two passports, one ordinary and one diplomatic from the hands of Ambassador Nogozene Bakayoko, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and from Mr. Abou Dosso, Ambassador of Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in Belgium.
Details to follow.
