The wife and son of former Gabonese president Ali Bongo, along with eleven of their close associates who held key positions at the end of his presidency, go on trial in Gabon on Monday, charged with treason and corruption.
Although the former president, who was ousted in a coup in August 2023, is not among the accused, his wife Sylvia, eldest son Noureddin and eleven of their associates will stand trial this week, accused of having taken advantage of the power and resources of the presidency.
They face 12 charges that include embezzlement of public funds, “active corruption” and forging official documents.
'Show trial'
The Bongos have called the proceedings a “show trial”, and Noureddin told French weekly Le Point last week that he had “never embezzled any money”.
He and his mother, who also have French nationality, filed a complaint in a French court last year accusing Gabonese authorities of kidnapping and torturing them after Bongo was ousted.
The two will not attend the hearings, as they left Gabon for London in May, when newly-elected President Brice Clothaire Oligui Nguema agreed to let them leave, on the condition they keep a low profile.
Since then, the Bongos have been openly confrontational towards the Gabonese authorities.
Members of Gabon’s civil society involved in the trial regret that the two will not be present at the special court.
“We simply expect the guilty to pay,” Ghislain Ngui Nze, spokesperson for the Indignant citizens collective (Les citoyens indignés), told RFI.
The group recently issued a statement condemning the arrogance of the former First Lady and her son for refusing to appear before justice.
“In their time, they claimed that Gabon’s justice system was doing its job. Now that they are faced with the facts: they must return to the Republic of Gabon to answer for their actions,” he said.
“These are financial criminals who have destroyed the country, systematically violated human rights, and now refuse to be tried,” said Georges Mpaga, president of the Network of free organisations for good governance, which has joined the case as a civil party.
“Nevertheless, under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, universal jurisdiction allows for international judicial cooperation to repatriate their assets, the proceeds of their crimes.”
(with newswires)
