Former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma has been charged with four counts of treason in connection with an attempted coup.
He was in court in the capital as the charges were read to him. He has previously denied any involvement.
Last November, gunmen broke into a military armoury and several prisons in Freetown, freeing almost 2,000 inmates.
The BBC has seen a letter saying Mr Koroma will be exiled to Nigeria in return for the charges being dropped.
The letter says Mr Koroma has agreed to the deal, brokered by the regional group, Ecowas, however he has not commented personally.
He will travel to Nigeria on Thursday, the letter says.
Some of Mr Koroma’s supporters cried in court as the charges were read out, according to the Reuters news agency.
On Tuesday, 12 other people were charged over the attempted coup, including one of Mr Koroma’s former bodyguards.
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