Libreville, Gabon – A Gabonese court has sentenced Sylvia Bongo, the wife of former President Ali Bongo Ondimba, and their son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, to 20 years in prison each, in absentia, on corruption charges. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday following a two-day trial.
Sylvia Bongo, 62, was found guilty of inciting the embezzlement of taxpayer funds. Her son, Noureddin, 33, was convicted of misappropriating public funds. Both individuals were tried and sentenced in absentia.
Noureddin Bongo Valentin has denounced the sentences as politically motivated and based on coerced testimonies obtained by the military junta that ousted his father in August 2023. He claims the evidence against them was fabricated under duress.
However, the prosecution maintains that investigations and witness statements revealed a systematic scheme to divert public funds for personal gain. Prosecutor Eddy Minang emphasized that the case represents a crucial step in combating the corruption that plagued the previous regime.
Both Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo Valentin, who hold French citizenship, were initially detained following the coup and spent twenty months in prison. They were later granted provisional release and permitted to leave Gabon for medical treatment in the United Kingdom. They subsequently filed a lawsuit in France in May 2024, alleging torture during their detention.
Current President General Brice Oligui Nguema, who formally assumed power in April, has denied all allegations of torture and has pledged his government’s commitment to ensuring a fair and impartial judicial process.
Simultaneously, ten former close associates of the Bongo family are on trial, facing charges of complicity in the embezzlement of public funds. These proceedings are expected to continue until Friday. The coup led by Nguema in August 2023 brought an end to the Bongo family’s 56-year rule, which began in Gabon in 1967.
