The wife of the deposed President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, has been jailed.
Bongo was put under house arrest following the coup in the central African nation on August 30, 2023, an incident which marked the end of the 55-year rule by the Bongo dynasty. There were widespread allegations that the former head of state and his supporters falsified the election results.
A lawyer to the Bongo family, Francois Zimeray, revealed in a statement on Thursday that Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin, who is suspected of embezzling public funds, was detained on Wednesday evening.
Zimeray described the detention as “arbitrary and illegal procedure”.
Bongo’s wife was indicted on September 28 for money laundering, forgery, and falsification of records.
In the latest case, Sylvia Bongo and her son, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, were accused of manipulating the former president, who has not fully recovered from a serious stroke in 2018.
The duo were said to have effectively run the oil-rich country for the past five years and have misused public money. Nourredin Bongo Valentin has also been placed in detention since the coup, charged with corruption.
“We condemned this illegal procedure,” lawyer Zimeray said.