BRUSSELS - Belgium has agreed to take in former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo following his acquittal at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP Saturday. "In response to a request from the International Criminal Court, Belgium has agreed to take in Laurent Gbagbo," said spokesman Karl Lagatie. - Shock acquittal -The ICC finally freed Gbagbo on Friday after his shock acquittal last month on charges of crimes against humanity. The ICC's unwillingness to let Gbagbo return to Ivory Coast may be because of the country's refusal to surrender Gbagbo's wife Simone, despite an outstanding ICC warrant for her arrest. Gbagbo's release comes at a particularly tense time in Ivory Coast.

Source: Bangkok Post February 02, 2019 11:15 UTC