Gabon’s former first lady Sylvia Bongo, 62, and her son Noureddin Bongo Valentin, 33, have each been handed 20 years prison sentences after being found guilty of embezzling public funds and other related offenses.
According to the local outlet GabonActu, prosecutors accuse Sylvia Bongo of embezzling public funds, money laundering, and forming a criminal network, while her son is charged with illicit enrichment, corruption, and illegal transfer of funds. Sylvia Bongo, the wife of ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba, also faced accusations of manipulating her husband and diverting state money for personal gain. She rejected all allegations. Her son Noureddin described the proceedings as a “legal farce” in an interview with AFP last week.
Sylvia and Noureddin, both French citizens, were accused of exploiting the elder Bongo’s fragile health after he suffered a stroke in 2018, allegedly using his condition to control state affairs and enrich themselves.
The two were arrested following the 2023 coup and detained for 20 months before being released in May and allowed to travel to London, officially for medical reasons. They later filed a lawsuit in France, claiming they were tortured while in detention and that the Gabonese judiciary is under political pressure from the new regime. Noureddin told AFP that neither he nor his lawyer would attend the hearing, saying they would not “justify a legal farce.” He added, “We are ready to answer for our actions, but only before an independent and impartial court, not one controlled by the executive.”
The prosecution, led by Eddy Minang, argued that witness testimony exposed a “system of diverting public funds for private interests.” Ten other former Bongo allies are also standing trial for complicity in the embezzlement scheme, with proceedings expected to continue until Friday.
General Oligui, now the country’s president after officially taking office in April, has denied any mistreatment of the Bongos and maintains that the trial has been fair and transparent.
