A Gabonese court on Wednesday sentenced former first lady Sylvia Bongo and her son Noureddin Bongo Valentin to 20 years in prison after finding them guilty of large-scale embezzlement of public funds and money laundering.
The verdict was delivered by Special Criminal Court president Jean Mexant Essa Assoumou, who said the two were convicted of “embezzlement of public funds, usurpation of titles, aggravated money laundering, and criminal association.” Both were tried in absentia after going into exile in London.
The court also ordered them to pay 100 million CFA francs (about $173,000) in fines to the state.
Sylvia Bongo, 62, denied the charges, claiming the court lacked independence. Noureddin, 33, previously served as the general coordinator of presidential affairs during his father Ali Bongo’s presidency.
Prosecutors alleged that billions of CFA francs were diverted through shell companies, offshore accounts, and secret investments while former President Bongo was recovering from a stroke in 2018. Evidence presented in court included photos of private jets allegedly purchased with laundered funds.
Twelve others were implicated in the same case, including senior aides in the former presidency.
The sentencing marks another chapter in Gabon’s political reset following the 2023 military coup that ended the Bongo family’s 56-year rule over the oil-rich Central African nation. The coup leader, Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, now serves as president after winning elections held in April.
Ali Bongo, who ruled for 14 years before his ouster, has not been charged in the corruption case.