A few weeks after the coup d’état that ousted President Ali Bongo from power in Gabon, the president’s son and many of his close associates have been arrested, charged, and detained on multiple counts.
The eldest son and several members of the former Gabonese president Ali Bongo’s cabinet have been indicted and imprisoned for “active corruption,” three weeks after the coup that toppled the ousted leader.
André-Patrick Roponat, the prosecutor of Libreville, announced on Wednesday, September 20, to AFP that Noureddin Bongo Valentin, the eldest son of Ali Bongo, Jessye Ella Ekogha, the former presidential spokesperson, as well as four other individuals, “were indicted on Tuesday and placed in provisional detention.” A few hours earlier, the prosecutor’s office had also considered the charge of “high treason” before removing it.
In total, ten individuals were charged on Tuesday, “depending on the case,” with “disruption of the operations of an electoral college,” “counterfeiting and use of the seals of the republic,” “forgery and use of official documents of an institution,” “granting and obtaining undue sums,” “corruption,” “embezzlement of public funds,” “money laundering,” “usurpation of titles and functions,” as stated by the prosecutor of Libreville, André-Patrick Roponat, during a press conference. He clarified that seven of them were placed in custody.
They were arrested on the day of the coup with four other high-ranking officials from the former president Ali Bongo’s cabinet and his wife Sylvia Bongo Valentin, and were suspected of “high treason,” among other charges. However, this charge was not retained, according to a source close to the prosecutor’s office, as reported by AFP.
On August 30, less than an hour after the announcement of Ali Bongo’s re-election in the middle of the night, which he had ruled since 2009 and was accused of massive fraud, the military, led by General Brice Oligui Nguema, overthrew him, accusing his regime of “massive embezzlement” of public funds.
