A Gabon court has sentenced former First Lady Sylvia Bongo Ondimba and her son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, to 20 years in prison on corruption charges following a trial held in absentia, the Court of Appeal in Libreville said on Wednesday.
Presiding judge Jean Mixant Issa Assoumou said Sylvia Bongo was found guilty of embezzling public funds, money laundering, and inciting forgery, while Noureddin Bongo was convicted of embezzlement, bribery, money laundering, and criminal association.
Both were arrested shortly after the Aug. 30, 2023 coup that ended the nearly five-decade rule of the Bongo family. They were held for about 20 months in Libreville’s central prison before being released on bail earlier this year and allowed to leave the country.
The ruling comes amid a sweeping anti-corruption drive launched by Gabon’s military leader, General Brice Oligui Nguema, who has pledged to recover stolen assets and rebuild the economy of the oil-producing nation.
Civil society groups have long accused the Bongo family of enriching themselves through public funds and transferring money abroad, including to France and other European countries.
