The former first lady of Gabon, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin, under house arrest since a military coup at the end of August, for alleged embezzlement of public funds, has been imprisoned, said her French lawyer, François Zimeray, on Thursday October 12. According to local media, the wife of former president Omar Bonga Ondimba was placed under arrest at Libreville central prison late Wednesday evening, after a new and lengthy hearing by an investigating judge.
Sylvia Bongo, 60, was indicted on September 28, notably for “money laundering and forgery and use of forgery” and kept under house arrest in Libreville, as she had been since the first day following the August 30 putsch that overthrew her husband.
The military, who accuse Omar Bongo’s entourage of having rigged his re-election, suspect the former first lady of having “manipulated” her husband – who is suffering from the after-effects of a serious stroke in 2018 -, of having been, alongside their son Noureddin Bongo Valentin, the de facto leader of the country for five years, and having “massively embezzled public funds”. Noureddin Bongo has been in prison since the first day of the coup, charged in particular with “corruption” and “embezzlement of public funds”.
“As long as there is a difference between justice and arbitrariness, between law and revenge, we will denounce this illegal procedure,” commented Me Zimeray, who had already denounced, while his client was under house arrest, “arbitrary detention” and “hostage-taking.” The Libreville public prosecutor, questioned by AFP about this incarceration, had not yet responded early Thursday morning.
Ticket suitcases
On the night of August 30, less than an hour after the announcement of the re-election of Ali Bongo, in power for fourteen years, the army, citing obvious fraud, “put an end to the regime”, also accused of corruption massive. General Brice Oligui Nguema, leader of the putsch, was proclaimed president of the transition two days later.
More than a month later, General Oligui, who appointed a civilian transitional government and parliament, remains adored by the vast majority of the population and the political class, who applaud the military for having “liberated” them from fifty-five years of the “Bongo dynasty”. Ali Bongo was elected in 2009 following the death of his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who had ruled the country for more than forty-one 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 since his stroke. Since then, Ali Bongo, whose President Oligui said was “free” to go abroad for his follow-up medical examinations, preferred to stay in Gabon, according to the new power.
The very night of the putsch, Noureddin Bongo and several young collaborators in the presidential office were arrested and shown at the foot of countless trunks, suitcases and bags overflowing with bank notes seized from their homes. Three weeks later, Bongo’s son and seven members of the “young team” were indicted and incarcerated in particular for “corruption, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, criminal association, falsification of the signature of the President of the Republic and disturbance of electoral operations”. Two former ministers (oil and public works) close to Noureddin Bongo 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? », he asked himself.
Gabon is ranked 136th out of 180 for perception of corruption by Transparency International (2022).