Share

I Coast's ex-first lady clashes with judge at trial

Abidjan - Ivory Coast's former first lady Simone Gbagbo and the judge trying her for crimes against humanity clashed on Tuesday, with military police forced to prevent her from leaving the courtroom.

"Where are you going? Stop her" the court president Boiqui Kouadjo told gendarmes as Gbagbo left the witness box to follow her lawyer who exited the Abidjan courtroom in protest against the proceedings.

Gbagbo refused to sit down.

"Condemn me if you want, but I'm tired of this. It's nonsense," she said before being admonished by the judge for talking to him "in that tone".

Simone Gbagbo is the wife of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo, who was forced from power in 2011 by current incumbent Alassane Ouattara, who had won presidential elections five months previously - the results of which his predecessor rejected.

Simone Gbagbo's trial began on May 31. She is accused of involvement in the shelling of Abobo, a northern suburb of the capital Abidjan, which was a Ouattara stronghold.

She is also accused of being a member of a "crisis cell" that allegedly coordinated attacks by the armed forces and militias in support of Gbagbo.

She is already serving a 20-year sentence for "endangering state security".

Tuesday's exchanges began after the court rejected a defence request for high-profile witnesses to be called, including parliament's speaker, a former prime minister and a former army chief.

The trial had resumed Monday after being suspended for two weeks.

The court is scheduled to sit again on Wednesday but it was unclear whether the defence team would return to the proceedings.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 477 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 684 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.93
+0.0%
Rand - Pound
23.90
+0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.41
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.0%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE