Congo court jails presidential candidate for alleged coup plot
Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko was jailed in June 2016 on charges of threatening state security
A court in the Republic of Congo sentenced opposition presidential candidate Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko to 20 years in jail for an alleged coup plot. The Criminal Court in the capital, Brazzaville, also handed down a similar sentence to seven co-defendants, six French and a Congolese, AFP reported, citing Court President Christian Oba. "The criminal court declares Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko guilty of the facts charged to him," the news agency quoted Oba as saying. Mokoko, 71, has denied the charges and his lawyer Eric-Yvon Ibouanga said by phone his case was a political trial. Mokoko was jailed in June 2016 on charges of threatening state security, three months after he challenged President Denis Sassou Nguesso in elections. Mokoko is suspected of plotting to overthrow Sassou Nguesso after a video dating from 2007 surfaced during the election campaign in which he was seen discussing a coup plot. Mokoko, who served as presidential adviser on security matters for more than a decade, denie...
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