Gabon’s former first lady Sylvia Bongo and son Noureddin given jail terms for corruption

A court in Gabon sentenced the former first lady and son of ousted president Ali Bongo to 20 years in prison after a two-day trial.

Sylvia Bongo and Noureddine Bongo were convicted on Tuesday evening of embezzlement and corruption charges after a trial that began in absentia the day before.

They were fined 100 million CFA francs ($177,000; £135,000), with Noureddine required to pay an additional 1.2 trillion CFA francs ($2.1; £1.6 billion) for the financial damages incurred by the Gabonese state.

They were accused of exploiting Ali Bongo’s condition after he suffered a stroke in 2018 to manage Gabon for personal gain. They denied the charges against them before their trial, describing them as a “legal farce.”

Ali Bongo was ousted in an August 2023 coup led by Brice Oligwe Nguema, who has since stripped off his uniform and was elected president earlier this year.

Following the military coup, Bongo’s wife and son were detained in Gabon for 20 months before being released in May and allowed to leave the country for London on medical grounds.

The former president is not facing any trial and was also released from house arrest where he reportedly remains, although Gabonese authorities have said he is free to move as he pleases.

Gabon’s prosecutor, Edy Menang, told the court on Monday that they were “surprised” not to see the former first lady and her son in court as the trial began.

Although the two were sentenced, the trial of the other defendants will continue until Friday, local reporters told the BBC. According to reports, nine other defendants, former allies of the Bongos, were present in court at the start of the trial.

The Bongo family ruled Gabon for more than five decades. Ali Bongo remained in power for 14 years before being overthrown. He succeeded his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled for 42 years.

Over the years, the family has been accused of amassing wealth for itself at the expense of the country, accusations that its members deny.

Despite being an oil-rich country, about a third of Gabon’s population lives below the poverty line, according to the United Nations.