Last Monday, the former president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, filed a complaint against French ambassador Sylvain Itt, who was forced to flee Niamey last September after making remarks during a closed hearing before the French National Assembly’s Defense Committee about Issoufou’s direct involvement in the overthrow of his successor, Mohamed Bazoum, in July.
The complaint–for defamation by electronic means of communication and dissemination of data–is likely to undermine human dignity with the Niamey High Court, said French radio RFI.
It targets the French ambassador to Niger, Sylvain Itté, as well as the Secretary General of the National Assembly and the French State.
The complaint follows the publication on the National Assembly website of the minutes of a closed-door hearing of Sylvain Itté before the chamber’s Defense Committee.
The French ambassador to Niger, who was forced to leave the country two months after the coup, points to Mahamadou Issoufou’s “direct involvement” in the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum last July.
“We feel we have been defamed,” explains the former head of state’s lawyer.
Issoufou is counting on the judicial cooperation agreement between France and Niger to ensure that the procedure is implemented.
Itté indicated that he has “…not been informed that a complaint has been lodged against (him), and (has) no comment to make at this stage.”