By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Gabon Court Jails Former First Lady, Son for 20 Years Over Corruption
A Gabonese court has sentenced the former first lady, Sylvia Bongo, and her son, Noureddin Bongo, to 20 years in prison after finding them guilty of large-scale embezzlement of public funds and other corruption-related charges.
The duo, tried in absentia, were accused of diverting billions of CFA francs during the rule of ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was removed from office in a military coup on August 30, 2023.
The coup brought General Brice Oligui Nguema to power, ending the Bongo family’s 55-year dominance in the oil-rich Central African nation.
Prosecutors told the court that public money had been “taken, recycled, laundered and reinvested” through a network of shell companies and international assets.
They alleged that the funds were used to buy oil fields worth about 350 billion CFA francs ($617 million), two Boeing aircraft, and properties in Gabon, Morocco, and London valued at 170 billion CFA francs.
The total amount embezzled was estimated at nearly 4.9 billion CFA francs ($8.7 million).
Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo, both of whom hold French citizenship, have denied any wrongdoing. Noureddin described the trial as a “legal farce,” insisting the verdict was politically motivated and predetermined by the current administration.
The two were arrested after the 2023 coup and detained for 20 months before being released in May 2025 on medical grounds.
They later left Gabon for London, claiming to have been tortured during their detention, allegations the Gabonese government has denied.
Ten of the Bongos’ former associates are also facing trial for alleged complicity in the embezzlement scheme, with proceedings expected to continue through the week.
Ali Bongo, who led Gabon for 14 years after succeeding his father Omar Bongo in 2009, has not been charged. His rule ended abruptly after the army annulled the results of a disputed election in which he had claimed victory.
President Oligui Nguema, now officially sworn in, has promised reforms and pledged that justice will be served “without fear or favor.”
However, the Bongo family maintains that the case is part of a broader political purge intended to erase their legacy.
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