Gbagbo allegedly tied to financial crimes

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo and his wife were charged with embezzlement and other financial crimes, the public prosecutor said.

Gbagbo and his wife, Simone, were charged with a series of financial crimes stemming from the post-election crisis in the West African country, the world's top cocoa producer.

They face charges of using state funds in an effort to stay in power after the international community recognized Alassane Ouattara as the winner of a November presidential election, the BBC reports.

Public Prosecutor Simplice Kouadio Koffi said the arrests were made earlier this week. The Ivorian courts opted to only pursue economic crimes to make room for an international investigation into alleged human rights abuses during the country's political crisis.

Thousands were killed and many more displaced after the post-election crisis pushed the country to the brink of civil war. Ouattara, sworn in as president after Gbagbo's arrest in April, called on the International Criminal Court to investigate the post-election violence.

Human rights groups accuse both sides of committing atrocities during the conflict, which some classified as civil war.