Gabon Ex-First Lady, Son Jailed 20 Years for Embezzling Public Funds
A Gabonese court has sentenced former First Lady Sylvia Bongo and her son, Noureddin Bongo, to 20 years in prison after finding them guilty of embezzling public funds and money laundering.
Both were tried in absentia during a two-day trial that concluded on Wednesday. The verdict marks a major chapter in the post-coup corruption probe following the 2023 ouster of former president Ali Bongo, who ruled the oil-rich Central African nation for 14 years before being toppled by General Brice Oligui Nguema.
Sylvia, 62, and Noureddin, 33, denied the allegations, describing the case as politically motivated. Noureddin called the ruling a “predetermined verdict,” accusing Gabon’s leadership of orchestrating a “legal farce” to eliminate the Bongo family’s influence.
Prosecutors said the duo exploited Ali Bongo—who suffered a stroke in 2018—to divert billions in state funds for personal gain. The funds were allegedly used to acquire oil fields, private jets, and luxury assets in Gabon, Morocco, and London worth hundreds of billions of CFA francs.
Authorities estimated the total amount embezzled at nearly 4.9 billion CFA francs (about $8.7 million).
Arrested after the August 2023 coup, Sylvia and Noureddin were detained for 20 months before being allowed to travel to London on medical grounds earlier this year. Both claim they were “violently tortured” in custody—an allegation the Oligui government denies.
Ten former Bongo allies are also standing trial for complicity in the embezzlement. Proceedings are expected to continue through Friday.
Ali Bongo, who inherited power from his father Omar Bongo in 2009, has not been charged. His family’s five-decade rule over Gabon ended when the army declared his re-election in 2023 fraudulent and installed Oligui as transitional president, who was later sworn in officially in April.
Despite criticism from the Bongos, Oligui has maintained that due process was followed and vowed that all trials would be “fair and transparent.”
