Former Gabon first lady and son of the country’s deposed leader, Ali Bongo, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday.
Sylvia Bongo, 62, and Noureddin Bongo, 33, both prosecuted in absentia, were convicted of misappropriation of public funds, among other crimes.
The wife of Ali Bongo, whose family dominated the Central African country with an iron fist for 55 years, was accused of influencing her husband to pilfer state funds.
However, she denied the charges.
Her son and co-defendant, Noureddin, described the trial as a “legal farce” in an interview with AFP last week.
On Wednesday, Noureddin decried the ruling, which terminated the Bongo dynasty’s rule in 2023, as “based on the testimony of witnesses coerced by the military junta.”
This was a “political conviction,” he added, from “a justice system that follows orders from the executive branch,” denying the accusations leveled against him.
Ex-President Ali Bongo was deposed in a coup on August 30, 2023, and General Brice Oligui Nguema took power.
The overthrown leader is not being prosecuted.
Bongo ruled for 14 years until being deposed just moments after being declared the winner of a presidential election that the army and opposition deemed fraudulent.
He succeeded his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who had ruled Gabon for nearly 42 years before his death in 2009.
Ali Bongo’s wife and son, both French citizens, were accused of manipulating the former leader, who suffered a major stroke in 2018, to effectively govern Gabon for personal gain.
Arrested following the coup, they were held in the country for 20 months until being freed in May and allowed to go to London on medical grounds.
Both claim they were tortured throughout their incarceration.
Ten former Bongo associates are also on trial, accused of taking part in the misappropriation of public funds. The proceedings are anticipated to continue until Friday.
Prosecutor Eddy Minang stated that statements made by the co-accused and witnesses during the trial demonstrated a system of diverting public funds “for the benefit of private interests.”
Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo filed a case in France in May of last year, alleging that they were “repeatedly and violently tortured” by Oligui’s closest army pals while detained.
“We know full well that if we go back, we will suffer things far worse than we have already suffered,” Noureddin Bongo told AFP ahead of the trial.
He stated that his Gabonese lawyer would also not attend the hearing to avoid “justifying… a legal farce.”
“We are not opposed to the idea of being held accountable for so-called acts we may have committed,” Bongo insisted.
“But only if it is before an independent and genuine court of law, not one that is clearly under the orders of the executive branch in Gabon,” he said.
The family also argues that the new authorities have relied on the courts to find them guilty.
Oligui was officially sworn in as president in April, after turning over his general’s uniform.
He has denied any type of torture and pledged that both will have a “fair trial.”
