Court sentences ex-First Lady, 33-year-old son to 20-year jail term
A Gabonese court has sentenced former First Lady Sylvia Bongo and her son, Noureddin Bongo, to 20 years in prison for embezzlement and misuse of public funds.
The verdict, delivered on Wednesday after a two-day trial in Libreville, found the duo—tried in absentia—guilty of diverting state resources for personal gain.
Sylvia Bongo, 62, was accused of exploiting her husband, former President Ali Bongo, to misappropriate public money during his 14-year rule. Her son, Noureddin, 33, was alleged to have collaborated in the scheme, manipulating government finances for private benefit. Both denied the charges.
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In an interview with AFP last week, Noureddin denounced the proceedings as a “legal farce,” alleging that the case was politically motivated and based on coerced testimony. “This is a political conviction handed down by a justice system that takes orders from the executive branch,” he said.
The trial comes more than a year after the August 2023 coup that ousted Ali Bongo and ended the Bongo family’s 55-year rule. The former president, who took power in 2009 following the death of his father, Omar Bongo, has not been charged.
Sylvia and Noureddin were detained after the coup and held for 20 months before being released in May 2025 and allowed to leave for London on medical grounds. Both claim they were “violently tortured” during their detention and have filed a lawsuit in France against members of Gabon’s military junta.
Prosecutor Eddy Minang told the court that evidence from witnesses and co-defendants exposed a “systematic diversion of public funds for private interests.”
READ ALSO: Gabon’s deposed President Ali Bongo, sons begin hunger strike amid torture allegations
Ten former officials close to the Bongos are also on trial for alleged complicity in the embezzlement scheme, with proceedings expected to continue through Friday.
General Brice Oligui Nguema, who led the coup and was sworn in as president in April, has denied allegations of torture, insisting that the Bongos received a fair trial.
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