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Amnesty international and greenpeace netherlands
Chapter 11
Throughout the trial, defence lawyers for the remaining non-Trafigura individuals accused raised fair-trial issues, some of which were linked to Trafigura’s role and lack of attendance at the trial.623
Guilty verdicts Ultimately, only two individuals were convicted: Salomon Ugborogbo, the head of Compagnie Tommy, and Essoin Kouao from WAIBS, the company that acted as a shipping agent. No responsibility was imputed to the state of Côte d’Ivoire, and all the state officials were acquitted.
Salomon Ugborogbo was convicted of both the poisoning charge and the charges relating to breaches of public health and environmental laws. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The WAIBS employee, Essoin Kouao, was found guilty of being an accessory to poisoning and being an accessory to breaches of public health and environmental laws. He was sentenced to five years in prison.624 Both men have since been released from prison. Salomon Ugborogbo’s early release is reported to have occurred during the political turmoil that engulfed Côte d’Ivoire in 2010, when many prisoners were able to leave prison. However, his release is not official.