A court in the Central African Republic sent a rebel leader accused of plotting to assassinate President Francois Bozize to prison for life on Friday for endangering state security.
The President of the country’s criminal court, Jean-Noel Bangue, said Jean-Jacques Larmassoum was also found guilty of complicity, rebellion, assassination, looting, theft, grievous bodily harm, destruction of property, possession of weapons and ammunition, and desertion.
Larmassoum, known as ”Lieutenant Larma”, admitted to the charges and alleged ex-president Ange-Felix Patasse hatched the plot.
Five of his eight co-defendants on trial for complicity were acquitted, including two members of Patasse’s Central African People’s Liberation Movement (APRD).
The APRD made itself known by claiming responsibility — in communiqués signed by ”Lieutenant Larma” — for raids conducted in September and December 2005 in the towns of Markounda and Kabo, in the north-west of the country.
The three other co-defendants — youths from the town of Kabo — were handed 10-year sentences for ”looting, criminal conspiracy, and grievous bodily harm” committed after the raids.
A prosecutor earlier on Friday had demanded the death penalty for Larmassoum, rejecting defence-counsel claims that Larmassoum was insane.
Prosecutors said the rebels answered to Patasse and their ”goal was to destabilise republican institutions and to take power”.
At the time of his arrest on February 24, Larmassoum was allegedly trying to recruit commandos to assassinate Bozize.
Patasse, who lives in exile in Togo, is to be tried in absentia next month for embezzlement of public funds.
He is also accused by the International Human Rights Federation of war crimes committed by his forces in defeating a first coup attempt by Bozize, launched from neighbouring Chad in October 2002. — Sapa-AFP