Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, the former president of the Comoros, was given a life sentence for high treason on Monday (Nov. 28).
Read also: Former Comoros President is wanted for life in prison over high treason.
The 64-year-old was found guilty of providing Gulf-based stateless people with passports.
Between 2006 through 2011, Sambi served as the Indian Ocean archipelago’s leader.
He enacted a bill in 2008 enabling the selling of passports and was charged with embezzling millions of dollars in the “economic citizenship” scandal-related scheme.
However, Sambi’s French attorney claimed that there is no proof of this money and that “no account was located.”
Sambi declined to go to the trial because his attorneys claimed there was no assurance he would be treated fairly. He once arrived in court with his defence, who asked the judge to abstain because the judge had previously served on the committee that chose to indict the defendant.
It is not possible to challenge decisions made by the State Security Court, a unique judicial entity.
Azali Assoumani, the current president, is opposed by Sambi.
