Former Gabon First Lady Sylvia Bongo Jailed For Embezzlement

Libreville, Gabon – Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin, the Franco-Gabonese wife of Gabon’s former president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, has been incarcerated after being under house arrest since a military coup at the end of August. She faces allegations of embezzlement of public funds, a development that her lawyer has vehemently criticized.

Mrs Bongo’s French lawyer, François Zimeray, confirmed the news, denouncing the legal procedure as “illegal” and “arbitrary.” According to reports, she was placed under a committal order at Libreville’s central prison on Wednesday evening after an extended re-hearing by an examining magistrate.

The charges against Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin date back to September 28, when she was accused of “money laundering and forgery.” She had been under house arrest in Libreville since the aftermath of the August 30 military coup that ousted her husband from the presidency.

The military junta that orchestrated the coup claimed that President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s entourage had rigged his re-election. They publicly accused the former First Lady of manipulating her husband, who had been recovering from a severe stroke suffered in 2018. They further alleged that both Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin and their son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, had been the de facto leaders of the country since the president’s stroke, and had “massively embezzled public funds.”

Noureddin Bongo Valentin, the former First Lady’s son, has been in prison since the first day of the coup, facing charges of “corruption” and “embezzlement of public funds.”

The legal proceedings surrounding Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin’s case have garnered international attention due to concerns about the fairness of the legal process. Her lawyer, François Zimeray, has insisted that the procedure is riddled with irregularities and that his client’s rights are being violated. The case has also raised questions about the wider political situation in Gabon following the coup, and the impact it may have on the country’s stability and governance.