On 2 April 2019, investigative journalist Fernand Cello was acquitted by the Fianarantsoa Appeal Court nearly two years after his arrest on charges related to his work and allegedly fabricated accusations that he stole a cheque book. Fernand Cello was arrested on 5 May 2017 and held in pre-trial detention for more than four months. He was convicted on 26 September 2017 on charges of theft of a chequebook and handed a two-year suspended sentence along with a heavy fine by the Ihosy court on 26 September 2017.
