The Bongo family, the former rulers of Gabon, have provided video evidence before a French court on allegations of torture and arbitrary detention, following their ousting in the country's 2023 military coup.
Former president Ali Bongo, his wife Sylvia and their eldest son Noureddin, all of whom have French nationality, filed a complaint in Paris in May 2024 accusing the Gabonese authorities of "sequestration, arbitrary detention, acts of torture and barbarity" following Bongo's ousting in a military coup on 30 August, 2023.
The three testified before judges from the war crimes unit of the Paris tribunal on Monday and Tuesday this week.
"On the eve of the August 30, 2023 military coup, our entire family – including a one-year-old child – was kidnapped and taken hostage,” Sylvia and Noureddin said in a joint declaration. “We were subjected to humiliation and staged propaganda designed to support a narrative fabricated by the new authorities to justify their seizure of power."
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They described 20 months of alleged mistreatment, including solitary confinement in the Libreville Central Prison and a basement office beneath the presidential palace, six floors below President Oligui Nguema’s residence.
They allege they were “repeatedly tortured by soldiers close to President Oligui Nguema – whipped, electrocuted, waterboarded, beaten and worse".
Nguema's transitional government denies all allegations of torture.
'We will not be silent'
The Bongos claim they were forced to sign documents silencing them about the abuses shortly before they were evacuated to Angola in May this year.
"We will not be silent," Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo wrote in a statement released on Thursday.
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They also confirmed they had submitted video evidence to support claims that military pressure was used on the Gabonese judiciary to secure their conviction. It includes footage secretly recorded by Noureddin Bongo inside the office of the Gabonese investigating judge in which the latter allegedly acknowledges pressure from junta members to convict the Bongos.
Prosecutors have linked Ali Bongo to irregular transfers totalling approximately €406 million over a decade, with assets allegedly purchased through kickbacks from military equipment deals. Investigations are also focused on illegal sales of oil and other products under the previous regime.
Following the coup, Ali Bongo claimed to have been held under house arrest at his residence. But Gabonese officials highlighted videos showing him celebrating with family and receiving guests, including heads of state and journalists.
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Bongo's wife Sylvia was held in detention from October 2023, on charges of forgery, money laundering and falsifying documents. Her son Noureddin was also held, charged with treason and corruption.
Both were released in May this year following the intervention of Angolan President João Lourenço, who currently heads the African Union. The Bongo family now lives in London.
Gabonese prosecutor Eddy Minang has said their release is provisional, owing to poor health, and that legal proceedings against them would continue.
