Wife of Gabon's former president charged with money laundering
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Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin has been under house arrest in Libreville since the August 30 coup and is facing numerous charges related to corruption.
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Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin is being kept "incommunicado" according to one of her lawyers (AFP)
A public prosecutor has charged the wife of Gabon's deposed president, Ali Bongo Ondimba, with "money laundering" and other offenses, a month after her husband was deposed in a coup.
Andre Patrick Roponat stated on TV networks Friday that a judge accused Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin Thursday, detailing she has been under house arrest in Libreville since the August 30 coup.
One of her attorneys emphasized she was "incommunicado outside any legal framework."
Previously, the Libreville state prosecutor confirmed to AFP that Noureddin Bongo Valentin, the son of ousted Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, alongside several of his allies, is facing charges of high treason and corruption and has been placed in custody.
Bongo's eldest son, Noureddin, and former presidential Spokesperson Jessye Ella Ekogha, along with four others close to the ex-leader, "have been charged and placed in provisional detention," said Libreville prosecutor Andre-Patrick Roponat.
On the same day as the August 30 coup, one of Bongo's sons, five senior cabinet officials, and his wife Sylvia Bongo Valentin were arrested.
Bongo took office in 2009, succeeding his father Omar, who died after more than 41 years in power.
The Gabon junta named General Brice Oligui Nguema as the transition leader, according to a statement made by soldiers on national television last month.
Gabon is the sixth African country to have undergone a coup in the last three years. Other countries include Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and most recently Niger.
