A court in Gabon has sentenced the country’s former First Lady, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, and her son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, to 20 years in prison after finding them guilty of embezzling public funds and other corruption-related offences.
The ruling, delivered on Wednesday after a two-day hearing in Libreville, marks one of the most dramatic chapters in Gabon’s post-coup judicial proceedings. Both Sylvia and Noureddin were tried in absentia and are currently in London, where they were allowed to travel on medical grounds earlier this year.
Prosecutors accused the duo of diverting millions of dollars from the state treasury for personal use during the presidency of Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was ousted in a military coup on August 30, 2023.
According to the court, the former first lady, 62, had taken advantage of her husband’s ill health after his 2018 stroke to “manipulate state finances” and consolidate control of key economic structures. Her son, Noureddin, 33, was alleged to have played a major role in managing the diverted funds and coordinating the scheme through close allies in the presidency.
But both defendants have denied the charges. Noureddin described the trial as “a legal farce,” claiming it was “based on the testimony of witnesses coerced by the military junta.” He said the conviction was “politically motivated” and orchestrated by the ruling transitional government led by General Brice Oligui Nguema.
“We are not opposed to being held accountable,” Noureddin told AFP before the trial, “but only before an independent and genuine court, not one that takes orders from the executive.”
In response, state prosecutor Eddy Minang said during proceedings that testimonies from co-accused individuals and witnesses clearly exposed a “well-organised system of diverting public funds for private gain.”
Ten other former government officials, believed to be close associates of the Bongo family, are also on trial for alleged complicity in the same case. The proceedings are expected to continue through the week.
Ali Bongo, who ruled Gabon for 14 years after succeeding his late father, Omar Bongo, is not facing prosecution. His family had governed the oil-rich Central African nation for over five decades before the 2023 coup ended their dynasty.
Both Sylvia and Noureddin, who hold French citizenship, were detained for nearly 20 months after the coup before being released in May. They have since claimed they were “violently tortured” during their detention allegations the Gabonese authorities have strongly denied.
President Oligui Nguema, who was sworn in officially in April, has maintained that the Bongos were given a fair trial and insisted that “no acts of torture” occurred during their detention.
