The Franco-Gabonese wife of the former president of Gabon Ali Bongo has been in residence since a military coup at the end of August. Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin has now been imprisoned in Libreville central prison for alleged embezzlement of public funds. She was charged in particular with “money laundering and forgery and use of forgery” on September 28.
She was “temporarily incarcerated” Thursday at 1 a.m., after another long hearing by an investigating judge, assured her lawyer Gisèle Eyue-Bekale. The latter requested and obtained a referral for a hearing in ten days, which will allow her to “pleading for release”.
Investigation into massive embezzlement of public money
The former First Lady is at the heart of a larger investigation into massive embezzlement of public money in the company of her son Noureddin Bongo Valentin, already incarcerated like six of their relatives, former heads of the presidential office, according to sources concordant judicial authorities.
The soldiers who overthrew Ali Bongo by accusing his entourage of having rigged his re-election, publicly suspected the former First Lady and Noureddin of having “manipulated” the ex-president suffering from the after-effects of a serious stroke in 2018, and to have been the “real” de facto leaders of the country for five years. Noureddin Bongo has been in prison since the first day of the coup, charged in particular with “corruption” and “embezzlement of public funds”.
The “Bongo dynasty”
“As long as there is a difference between justice and arbitrariness, between law and vengeance, we will denounce this illegal procedure,” commented from Paris Me François Zimeray, Sylvia Bongo’s French lawyer. On the night of August 30, less than an hour after the announcement of the re-election of Ali Bongo Ondimba, the army, citing obvious fraud, “put an end to the regime” also accused of massive corruption. 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 promised to return power to civilians through elections but without setting a deadline, remains adored by the vast majority of the population and the political class who applaud the military. for having “liberated” them from 55 years of “Bongo dynasty”. Ali was elected in 2009 following the death of his father Omar Bongo Ondimba, who had ruled the country for more than forty-one years.
The former president “manipulated”
Ali Bongo was placed under house arrest on the day of the putsch but declared free to move around a week later. The soldiers seemed to quickly exonerate him, considering that he was “manipulated” by his wife and their son. Since then, Ali Bongo has preferred to stay at home in Gabon, says the new power.
The very night of the putsch, Noureddin Bongo as well as several of his young relatives and those close to his mother within the presidential cabinet were arrested and shown at the foot of countless trunks, suitcases and bags overflowing with bank notes for hundreds of millions euros seized from their homes. “The First Lady and Noureddin wasted Ali Bongo’s power,” General Oligui asserted 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 then?”, he asked himself.