FORMER PM HAMA AMADOU RETURNED TO PRISON FROM

UNCLAS NIAMEY 000227 DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, AND DRL/EA ACCRA ALSO FOR AF/WA PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/W SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SOCI NG SUBJECT: FORMER PM HAMA AMADOU RETURNED TO PRISON FROM HOSPITALIZATION FOR MALARIA Ref: a) Niamey 00163, b) Niamey 00214, C) 08 Niamey 00632 ¶1. On April 2, Government of Niger security forces returned former Prime Minister Hama Amadou to prison from Niamey National Hospital at 4:00 a.m., where he had been since March 11 due to an attack of malaria (Ref A). Amadou's lawyers have lodged a complaint before the judiciary complaining that the GON's actions constituted "failure to assist a person in danger" and a violation of a court order, which had brought him to the hospital without subsequent certification that he was medically fit to be returned to prison. ¶2. Local media reports indicate Amadou's physician had sought his medical transfer to Paris for further treatment, which allegedly includes attention to his known hypertension. Accounts also maintain that Amadou was transferred on a stretcher. Others claim that Amadou received hospital care during the time of President Sarkozy's visit (Ref B) to avoid inquiries as to his disposition. ¶3. Comment: Amadou, a potential presidential candidate, has been held at Koutoukale prison since June 26, 2008 (Ref C),in what is widely regarded as a case of political marginalization through selective prosecution for corruption. ¶4. Minimize considered. Whitaker