20110510
rfi

A Niger appeals court on Tuesday freed the country's ex-president Mamadou Tandja who was jailed after being ousted in a coup in February 2010.

One of his lawyers said that all proceedings against him had been cancelled and he was completely exempted of the accusations against him.

A second lawyer said the appeals court in Niamey had ruled that the examining magistrate was not capable of hearing cases involving a former president.

On May 3, the country's court of appeals ruled that Tandja should be released, however the prosecution challenged the ruling.

Tandja was accused of misappropriating some six million euros and ignoring an order from the constitutional court to cancel an August 2009 referendum that he hoped would legally extend his presidency.

A third charge saw him accused of using a gift of tractors for the benefit of his inner circle.

Although 92.5 per cent of referendum voters officially supported Tandja's goal of staying in power beyond 2009 when his term was set to expire, the opposition boycotted the process and the result prompted the military to remove Tandja by force.

Shortly after the coup, Tandja was held in a presidential villa.

The State Court of Niger lifted the former president's immunity in December 2010, clearing the way for a prosecution.

He was charged and transferred in January to the Kollo prison just outside Niamey.

On April 7, the junta handed power to a civilian, Mahamadou Issoufou, who defeated Seini Oumarou, a former Tandja prime minister, with 58 per cent support in the 12 March vote.