2023-09-29 17:41:00
The Franco-Gabonese wife of the former president of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin, was charged in particular with “money laundering” and kept under house arrest, a month after her husband was overthrown by the army, which also accused the former First Lady and one of her sons of having “manipulated” the head of state.
Noureddin Bongo Valentin is already indicted and imprisoned in particular for “corruption” and “embezzlement of public funds”, along with several former young members of the presidential cabinet and two ex-ministers.
Following these indictments, “Mrs. Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin appeared on Thursday, September 28 before the investigating judge who charged her with money laundering, receiving stolen property, forgery and use of forged documents (…) before a house arrest is ordered,” announced Friday the public prosecutor of Libreville, André Patrick Roponat.
On the night of August 30, less than an hour after the announcement of Ali Bongo Ondimba’s re-election, the army, citing obvious fraud, “put an end to the regime”, also accused of massive corruption. General Brice Oligui Nguema, leader of the putsch, was proclaimed President of the Transition two days later.
-“The Bongo Dynasty”-
A month later, he remains adored as on the first day of his putsch by the vast majority of the population and the political class who applaud the military for having “liberated” them from 55 years of “Bongo dynasty”. Ali was elected in 2009 following the death of his father Omar Bongo Ondimba, who had ruled the country for more than 41 years.
Ali Bongo was placed under house arrest on the day of the putsch but declared free to move around a week later. The military seemed to quickly exonerate him, considering that he had been “manipulated” in particular by his wife and their son Noureddin after a serious stroke in 2018. Since then, Mr. Bongo, whom President Oligui says is ” free” to follow his treatment abroad, preferred to stay in Gabon at home, according to the new power.
The very night of the putsch, Noureddin Bongo and several of his young relatives and those close to the former First Lady within the presidential cabinet were arrested and shown at the foot of countless trunks, suitcases and bags overflowing with bank notes for hundreds of millions of euros seized from their homes.
-“Surviving residence”-
Sylvia Bongo Valentin had been placed under house arrest but isolated from her husband. His French lawyers denounced a “hostage-taking” and filed a complaint in Paris for “arbitrary confinement”.
“No one is above the law, but the law must be respected for everyone. What do we think of a justice system that keeps people in absolute secrecy for weeks before indicting them, without having access to a defense?” one of them, Me François Zimeray, asked AFP on Friday.
“Investigations are continuing and other arrests and charges are being considered,” warned prosecutor Roponat.
Noureddin and nine members of the “Young Team” were finally indicted three weeks after their arrest and six others imprisoned with him, notably for “corruption, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, criminal association, falsification of the signature of the President of the Republic and disruption of electoral operations.
Two former ministers (Oil and Public Works), close to Noureddin, were also imprisoned.
“The First Lady and Noureddin wasted Ali Bongo’s power,” General Oligui told the Republican Guard on September 18. “Because since his stroke, they forged the president’s signature, they gave orders in his place,” in addition to “money laundering and corruption.” “Who was running the country” then?, he asked himself.
Mr. Oligui Nguema called on the bosses of Gabonese companies or those operating in the country, accused of practicing systematic “overbilling” against retrocommissions paid to senior officials of the deposed power, to “stop these maneuvers” in public procurement.
Gabon is ranked 136th out of 180 for perception of corruption by Transparency International (2022).
09/29/2023 5:39:27 p.m. – Libreville (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
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