The former Gabonese president’s son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, as well as a number of other cabinet members were arrested on Tuesday and charged with “high treason” and “active corruption,” the Libreville prosecutor told AFP on Wednesday.
According to André-Patrick Roponat, the public prosecutor in Libreville, Gabon’s capital, Ali Bongo’s eldest son, former presidential spokesperson Jessye Ella Ekogha, and four other individuals were “indicted on Tuesday and remanded in custody”.
Ali Bongo, who had been in power since 2009 and was accused of massive fraud, was overthrown by the military on August 30 less than an hour after the announcement of his reelection. The military, led by General Brice Oligui Nguema, blamed his regime in particular for “massive misappropriation” of public funds.
The military detained five other young top officials from the office of the former president and his wife Sylvia Bongo Valentin on the very day of the coup, along with one of the deposed head of state’s sons. They were seen at the foot of trunks, suitcases, and bags filled to the brim with bundles of cash during searches of their residences, which were widely televised on state television.
The government claims that Mrs. Bongo Valentin is under house arrest in Libreville “for her protection,” but her attorneys claim that she has been “arbitrarily detained.”
General Oligui stated on September 6 that Ali Bongo, who had been first kept under house arrest in Libreville for many days following the putsch, is now “free to move about” and had the opportunity to “travel abroad.”
