A court in Gabon has sentenced former first lady, Sylvia Bongo, and her son, Noureddin Bongo, to 20 years in prison following a two-day trial.
Sylvia Bongo, 62, and Noureddin Bongo, 33, both tried in absentia, were found guilty of embezzlement of public funds, among other charges.
The wife of Ali Bongo, whose family ruled the central African country with an iron fist for 55 years, had been accused of manipulating her husband to embezzle taxpayers’ money.
Both were fined 100 million CFA francs ($177,000; £135,000), and Noureddin was ordered to pay an additional 1.2 trillion CFA francs ($2.1bn; £1.6bn) for financial damages to the Gabonese state.
They were accused of exploiting Ali Bongo’s condition after he suffered a stroke in 2018 to run Gabon for personal gain. The pair denied the charges, describing the trial as “a legal farce.”
Ali Bongo was removed from power in an August 2023 coup led by Brice Oligui Nguema, who was later elected president earlier this year.
Following the military takeover, Sylvia and Noureddin were detained for 20 months before being released in May and allowed to travel to London for medical reasons. The former president was also released and reportedly free to move as he wished, though he is not facing prosecution.
The Bongo family ruled Gabon for more than five decades. Ali Bongo led the country for 14 years, succeeding his father, Omar Bongo, who served for 42 years. Over the years, the family has faced accusations of accumulating wealth at the expense of the country, which they deny.
Despite being an oil-rich nation, about a third of Gabon’s population lives below the poverty line, according to the UN.