Wife of ousted Gabon President Ali Bongo Sylvia Bongo has been jailed for allegedly embezzling public funds.
Her lawyer Francois Zimeray confirmed her imprisonment on Thursday, October 12 morning while condemning the country’s justice system.
“We condemned this illegal procedure. There is a difference between justice and arbitrary actions, between the law and revenge,” Zimeray said.
Bongo’s wife was charged on September 28 with money laundering, forgery, and falsification of records.
Her charges were later read out by an investigating judge in August 2023 and ordered to remain under house arrest.
Ali Bongo Wife House Arrest
The former first lady was held under house arrest in the capital, Libreville, since August 30.
Her house detention came moments after Gabon Junta took over the country washing down her husband’s 55 years of dynasty power.
Likewise, the military junta had also made some allegations against Bongo’s wife, claiming that she manipulated the former leader since he suffered a severe stroke in 2018.
Also Read: Gabon Coup: Military Takes Over After Ali Bongo Re-Election
These allegations, coupled with the charges of election fraud, further led to her arrest.
Subsequently the Coup leader had accused Sylvia alongside her son Jaill of misusing public money having effectively run the oil-rich country for the past five decades.
However, their eldest son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, was charged with corruption and embezzling public funds alongside several former cabinet members and two ex-ministers.
Bongo’s rule
Bongo, 64, who had ruled the central African country since 2009, was overthrown by military leader’s moments after being declared the winner in a presidential election.
However, many saw it as an act of liberation rather than a military coup.
Ali Bongo was elected following the death of his father Omar in 2009 after 42 years in power.
Gabon is Africa’s third-richest nation in terms of per-capita GDP. However, one in three people lives below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.
Also Read: Gabon Coup: Military Frees Ali Bongo
Gabon Coup
A group of senior military officers in Gabon while appearing on national television on Wednesday, August 30 morning announced that they had seized power.
“We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime,” the officers said.
Moreover, the officers who revealed that they represented the views of all security and defence forces in Gabon cancelled the election results, dissolved all government institutions, and indefinitely closed all borders.
