Mauritania former president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has been sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering and “illicit enrichment”.
The Nouakchott court, on Monday December 4 found Aziz guilty of money laundering and abusing his position to illegally enrich himself.
Meanwhile, the court also ordered the confiscation of his assets but acquitted him on the other charges.
The former president had been on trial since January 2023 alongside 10 other prominent figures.
Mauritania Government Officials Convicted
According to reports, the officials included two former prime ministers who were also charged for illicit enrichment, abuse of functions, influence-peddling and laundering.
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Abdel Aziz led the West African country for 10 years after coming to power in a 2009 after defeating coup with previous President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.
Aziz led Mauritania for a decade up until 2019 when he was overthrown by close Political ally Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.
Aziz Detentions Until his Sentence
According to reports, the 66-year-old former head of state has been in detention since January 2023, having also spent several months in prison in 2021.
His succession by was the first peaceful transfer of power in the history of the country marked by coups and upheaval.
However, relations soured within months of the handover as allegations emerged of financial misconduct.
Graft Allegations against Aziz
The graft inquiry began shortly after he left office, starting with a parliamentary probe in August 2020.
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On the other hand, the probe focused on Mauritania’s oil revenues during his presidency, the sale of state assets, the winding up of a public company in charge of food supplies and the activities of a Chinese fishing company.
Similarly, Aziz, who was accused of piling up an estimated $72 million, (Ksh153 Million) maintained his innocence throughout the trial and described his prosecution as politically motivated.
In the final moments of his trial, the former president implicated his successor by claiming that Ghazouani had given him two suitcases filled with several million euros (dollars) the day after his election in 2019.
Worth noting, Mauritania was ranked 130th out of 180 in the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International.
