Ousted president Laurent Gbagbo charged in Ivory Coast

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Source: The Guardian

Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo and his wife, Simone, have been formally charged with "economic crimes", the first legal proceedings against the couple since they were ousted from power and put under house arrest in April.

Legal experts in the west African state say they expect further charges related to alleged "blood crimes" and possible human rights abuses against the couple.

As President Alassane Ouattara's government closes the net around former regime members suspected of using violence to hold on to power and looting the public treasury, there is growing criticism of the new administration, which has been accused of carrying out extrajudicial executions and arrests.

Gbagbo's refusal to relinquish power after he was defeated in a general election in November 2010 by Ouattara sparked four months of conflict and two weeks of civil war that left an estimated 3,000 people dead.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/19/ivory-coast-charges-laurent-gbagbo

[Blue_Tires]

1. Good...A lot of people died when he had his post-election temper tantrum