Ivory Coast presidential candidate Soro sentenced to 20 years in prison

Guillaume Soro, a candidate for president in Ivory Coast and former rebel leader, was convicted in absentia on Tuesday of embezzlement and sentenced to 20 years in prison, the judge in the case said.

The verdict was announced after a trial that lasted only a few hours and was boycotted by Soro's lawyers, who have denounced the allegations against Soro as aimed at excluding him from the October election. Soro is currently in exile in Europe.