ABIDJAN, July 26 (Reuters) - Three journalists arrested for publishing a confidential government report into corruption into the top grower's cocoa sector were freed by a court in Ivory Coast on Monday.
The journalists were instead handed a combined fine of 5 million CFA francs ($9,840) and their daily newspaper, Le Nouveau Courrier, was suspended for two weeks.
The three, who left the courthouse to cheering crowds of colleagues and friends, had refused to reveal their source, who leaked them the findings of a probe into the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse (BCC) and other regulatory bodies.
Media freedom watchdogs, transparency groups and the French and U.S. governments had all criticised the arrests and called for their release.
There is no criminal penalty in Ivory Coast for publishing information, but theft of public documents can carry a jail sentence.
At least 20 cocoa officials were detained in 2008 in a graft crackdown in Ivory Coast. Most remain in jail and have yet to go on trial.
Public prosecutor Raymond Tchimou had said two of the journalists were charged with stealing a confidential public document and publication of a document not yet public, and the other with receiving a stolen document.
(Reporting by Ange Aboa; writing by David Lewis; Editing by Alison Williams)
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