The wife of Gabon’s ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who has been under house arrest since the military takeover in the central African country in late August, has been imprisoned, according to her lawyer on Thursday, October 12.
Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin is suspected of allegedly embezzling public funds, and was put in jail on the eve of Wednesday, according to reports by her lawyer Francois Zimeray.
Bongo’s wife was charged on September 28 over money laundering, forgery and record forgery.
Note that Sylvia Bongo has been under house arrest in Libreville, the capital city, since the August 30 coup ended the 55 years of Bongo dynasty rule.
The putschists had also alleged that the former head of state and his entourage had faked the election results.
Sylvia Bongo and her son, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, had also been accused of manipulating the former president (who has yet to fully recover from a serious stroke in 2018.)
They say the two have effectively run the oil-rich country for the past five years and have misused public funds.
The public prosecutor in Libreville has yet to respond to an AFP request for comment as at the time of making this comment.
