OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Guinea's ex-junta leader was blocked from returning to the country, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Moussa "Dadis" Camara's plane was diverted to Ghana, lawyer Jean Baptiste Haba said. Camara was to make a connection in Ivory Coast, but Ivorian officials said they were asked by Guinean authorities not to allow Camara and his four companions to land in Abidjan, Haba said. Camara had reportedly been blocked from going through Ivory Coast earlier this month, his party said.

Camara is back in Burkina Faso, where he has been in exile since 2010.

But Guinea government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara, no relation to the former leader, denied blocking his return.

"The Guinean government has never prevented the return of Dadis to Guinea. He's Guinean, he is free to return to his country," he said. "It's instead that there's a problem with the law, and justice is sovereign and independent."

Camara seized power in 2008. In September 2009, his presidential guard opened fire on protesters demanding his resignation, killing at least 156 people. The former leader was later shot in the head in an assassination attempt by his own bodyguard before leaving for Burkina Faso.

In July, Camara was indicted in connection with the massacre, and denied all charges brought against him, said Haba.

"He is indicted but not prosecuted or found guilty. And as such, Dadis does not need a special permission to get home," Haba said, blaming officials for playing politics.

Camara has said he will run in Guinea's October presidential election. Candidates must physically register by Sept. 1.

President Alpha Conde, who became Guinea's first freely elected president in 2010, is seeking a second term.

Associated Press writer Boubacar Diallo in Conakry, Guinea contributed to this report.