Niger’s opposition leader Hama Amadou has been sentenced to a year in jail by an appeal court on charges of baby smuggling.
Hama Amadou was a main contender against President Mahamadou Issoufou in the 2016 presidential elections.
He is accused of being part of a group believed to have been smuggling babies from Nigeria via Benin to wealthy couples in Niger.
The judge presiding the case refused to grant the defence’s request for a delay of the proceedings so as to allow Amadou receive the court documents.
His lawyers say that his trial was in essence a fix as he had left to France and was sentenced in Absentia
The allegations against Amadou first surfaced in 2014 when he was parliamentary president. Shortly afterwards, Amadou’s parliament immunity was suspended and he fled to France.
