Light armoured vehicles block access to the luxurious villa hidden by palm trees from the view of drivers on the coastal road in the elegant Sablière district of Libreville. This is where Ali Bongo Ondimba, known as “ABO”, has been held captive since the coup d’état of 30 August 2023 led by the head of his presidential guard, Brice Oligui Nguema.
Unlike his wife, Sylvia, and his eldest son, Noureddin, both indicted and imprisoned, no formal accusation weighs on the shoulders of the former president (2009-2023). “This judicial interlude, with no one free or accused, as well as the conditions of detention of the former first lady and her son are a thorn in General Oligui’s side”says a former ABO minister who, like many of our interlocutors, prefers to remain anonymous when it comes to criticising the military junta.
On behalf of the authorities, we swear that “the retired president” He is free to move around and can, in particular, travel abroad to receive medical treatment for the consequences of the serious stroke he suffered in 2018. “He will not leave without his family because he is afraid that once he is out they will not let him return”corrects Gisèle Eyue Békalé, lawyer at ABO, Sylvia and Noureddin. “He doesn’t go out for fear of being lynched in the street, that’s why we take care of his safety”Alexandre Barro Chambrier, a former opposition leader who was appointed deputy prime minister in the transitional government appointed by the junta, replies.
Trunks full of notes
Popular resentment against the man who was propelled to the presidency of Gabon after the death of his father, Omar, in 2009, is real. It is less, however, than that directed against his closest relatives and those around him, suspected of having taken advantage of their positions and the president’s weakness after his stroke to shamelessly enrich themselves.
Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, née Valentin, is accused of several crimes: embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, forgery and use of forgery, receipt of stolen goods. Her son Noureddin must answer for criminal acts punishable by life imprisonment: high treason, massive embezzlement of public funds, international financial embezzlement by an organized gang, forgery and use of forgery, forgery of the signature of the President of the Republic, active corruption and drug trafficking..
The day after the coup, Gabonese media widely disseminated images of trunks full of banknotes found, according to authorities, in the homes of Sylvia and Noureddin’s relatives. They symbolize a shocking opulence obtained by capturing national wealth in a country where more than a third of the inhabitants live below the national poverty line, set at 5.50 dollars a day. Defenders of the Bongo family always denounce a setup.
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