Ivory Coast: Laurent Gbagbo plans to return home on June 17

Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo plans to return home on June 17 following his acquittal on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC), a party official said Monday.

The ICC confirmed in March that Gbagbo and his sidekick Charles Ble Goude were in the clear over the devastating post-electoral violence that rocked the West African nation in 2010 and 2011.

Despite spending years behind bars in the Dutch city and waiting in Brussels for the decision of a 2019 appeal, the former President retains considerable support at home.

Gbagbo's travel expenses will be covered by Ouattara's administration, and steps will be made to guarantee that he obtains the perks and allowances afforded to past presidents, according to Alassane Ouattara at a cabinet meeting.

Gbagbo's homecoming might be hampered further by a pending 20-year sentence handed down in absentia by an Ivorian court in November 2019 for misappropriating funds from the regional central bank.