A court in Gabon on Wednesday sentenced Sylvia Bongo, the former first lady, and her son Noureddin Bongo Valentin to 20 years in prison after finding them guilty of embezzling public funds and money laundering.
Both were tried in absentia during a two-day corruption trial in Libreville, where prosecutors accused them of diverting state money for personal gain during the presidency of Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was overthrown in a 2023 military coup.
Sylvia Bongo, 62, was accused of manipulating her husband, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2018 to seize control of state finances, while Noureddin, 33, allegedly helped launder and reinvest stolen funds. Both denied all charges.
In a statement to AFP after the verdict, Noureddin denounced the ruling as a “predetermined political show trial.”
“Today was merely a rubber-stamping exercise,” he said. “The judiciary in Gabon now lives in fear, and witnesses have in some cases been tortured.”
The Bongos’ defence team boycotted the proceedings, describing them as lacking independence.
According to prosecutors, the pair diverted 4.9 billion CFA francs (about $8.7 million) in state funds, which were allegedly used to acquire oil fields worth 350 billion CFA francs ($617 million), two Boeing aircraft, and luxury assets in Gabon, Morocco, and London valued at 170 billion CFA francs.
Ten former Bongo associates are also on trial for complicity in the alleged embezzlement, with hearings scheduled to continue until Friday.
Ali Bongo, who ruled the oil-rich Central African nation for 14 years after succeeding his father Omar Bongo in 2009, has not been charged. He was deposed by General Brice Oligui Nguema on August 30, 2023, shortly after a disputed election widely condemned as fraudulent.
Sylvia and Noureddin, who both hold French citizenship, were detained for 20 months following the coup before being released on medical grounds and allowed to leave for London in May.
They have since filed a lawsuit in France alleging they were “repeatedly and violently tortured” during their detention.
“We are not opposed to accountability,” Noureddin told AFP ahead of the trial. “But it must be before an independent court, not one under the control of the executive.”
President Oligui, who was sworn in in April after resigning from the military, has denied the torture allegations and insists the Bongos have received a “fair and transparent trial.”
The verdict marks the most significant corruption conviction yet since Gabon’s long-ruling Bongo dynasty ended after 55 years in power.
AFP
