Six former prime ministers are demanding that Sambi receive treatment outside the Comoros Islands.

Written by: Mohammed Omran

It escalates in Comoros A wave of political and humanitarian controversy has erupted over the fate of former President Ahmad Abdallah Sambi, after six former prime ministers called for him to be transferred abroad for treatment, amid assurances that his health condition is deteriorating in prison, while the authorities insist on continuing to implement the sentence issued against him in one of the most divisive cases within the island nation.

Six former prime ministers of the Comoros have appealed to President Azali Assoumani to allow his jailed predecessor, Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, to travel abroad for medical treatment.

In a letter dated May 26, they warned that Sambi's health was "deteriorating alarmingly" and urged the president to show clemency, offering assurances that he would be returned if the courts requested it.

Dispute over Sambi's health condition

Sambi, 67, spent eight years under house arrest and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022 for high treason related to a controversial scheme to sell passports.

While the prosecutor insists that the latest tests show no life-threatening condition, Sambi's doctor rejected this assessment, calling it "wrong," and saying that further investigations are underway.

A turbulent political background

Asomani, the former army chief who first seized power in a 1999 coup, dominated national politics for decades.

His repeated re-election attempts – the most recent in 2024 – have been marred by bloody disputes and protests.

Critics accuse him of tightening his authoritarian grip on the country, which has a population of about 970,000.

Growing concerns about governance and rights

This appeal from six former prime ministers adds to the growing pressure on the government, as observers warn of shrinking political space and deteriorating human rights.

Opponents have long cited the Sambi case as evidence of judicial manipulation and political score-settling.

On Monday, November 28, 2022, a court in the Comoros sentenced former President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi to life imprisonment for illegally selling Comorian passports.

The 64-year-old man was convicted of selling passports to stateless people living in the Gulf.

Sambi headed the Indian Ocean archipelago between 2006 and 2011

In 2008, he passed a law allowing the sale of passports, and was accused of embezzling millions of dollars as part of this scheme, which has since been referred to as the “economic citizenship” scandal.

The prosecution said the cost exceeded $1.8 billion – more than the gross domestic product of the poor country.

Emmanuel Sousa, the lawyer for the civil plaintiffs, said, “They gave the thugs the right to sell Comorian citizenship as if they were selling peanuts.”.

But Sambi's lawyer, Jean-Gilles Halimi, said there was no evidence of these funds – “No account has been discovered.”.

Sambi refused to attend the trial, with his lawyers arguing that there were no guarantees of a fair trial. He did attend one hearing, accompanied by his lawyer, and asked the judge to recuse himself from the case because he had previously been a member of the panel that decided to indict him.

Halimi said the former leader was originally tried on corruption charges, but the charges were reclassified as high treason, a crime “that does not exist in Comorian law.”.

Sambe had already spent four years behind bars before his trial, exceeding the maximum sentence of eight months. He had been placed in a