Former First Lady Of Gabon Has Been On Pre-trial Detention At The Libreville Central Prison Since October 12, 2023, Despite Pressure For Her Release

Former First Lady Of Gabon Has Been On Pre-trial Detention At The Libreville Central Prison Since October 12, 2023, Despite Pressure For Her Release

Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Eldest Son Of Former Gabonese President, Has Also Been On Pre- trial Detention Since August 30 For Alleged Embezzlement Of Public Funds, High Treason, Fraud, etc

Ali Bongo Ondimba, Former Gabonese President And Cousin Of Military Leader, Brigadier General Oligui Nguema, Refuses To ‘Go On Exile’ Without His Wife And Eldest Son

The Visit Of The Gabonese Military Leader To Cameroon, Was Delayed Because Yaounde Was Furious Over The Incarceration Of Former First Lady

Brigadier General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Disclosed That He Asked “Grand Doyen, Papa Paul Biya”, To Forgive Him. “We Are All Fangs”

If there was one thing that the First lady of Gabon, Mme SYLVIA BONGO ONDIMBA nee VALENTIN, and her eldest son, NOUREDDIN BONGO VALENTIN, could not even in the wildest of their imaginations had thought of at the start of 2023, it was that they would end the year in prison. But that is how it turned out to be. The now former First Lady of Gabon and her son spent the 2023 end of year festivities, that is, Christmas and New Year celebrations, behind bars, after the tide finally turned against them for their alleged criminal activities.

In fact the former First Lady of Gabon, French born SYLVIA BONGO ONDIMBA, has since the early hours of Thursday, October 12, 2023, been cooling her feet at the Central Prison in the nation’s capital, Libreville, on pre-trial detention for alleged embezzlement of hundreds of billions of francs CFA of public funds, at the time she was First Lady. Other charges like alleged Falsification of the Signature of the President of Republic, International Financial Malpractices, Fraud, and so on, are said to be in the pipeline against the former First Lady, jointly with her son.

Mme Sylvia Bongo, and her son Noureddin, allegedly took advantage of the health situation (poor physical condition) of the then Gabonese President, Ali Bongo Ondimba, who suffered a severe stroke in 2018, and forged or falsified the signature of President Ali Bogo, as well as fabricated out of the country a stamp – signature and official stamp of the President of Gabon.. The alleged criminal gang of mother and son, with some accomplices, used the signature and official stamp of the fragile Gabonese President to steal huge sums of State funds, after having used the same means to appoint their own persons to some strategic posts in the country, especially posts that controls State funds.

Noureddin Bongo Valentin Has Been In Detention Since August 30

Noureddin Bongo Valentin, the first son of former Gabonese President, Ali ben Bongo Ondimba, and wife, Sylvia, has been on pre – trail detention with a number of other persons (‘gang members’) since August 30, 2023. Noureddin and five others that include the former Director of Cabinet at the Presidency, Ian Ghislain Ngoulou, are charged for: High Treason, International Financial Malpractices, Fraud, Corruption, Falsification or Forging of the Signature of the President of the Republic, and Drug Trafficking.

It would be recalled that THE MENTOR first wrote about the arrest and detention of Noureddin Bongo Valentin and five others, as well as the charges leveled against them, in early September 2023. According to ‘Agence France Presse’ (French News Agency), the group of six that include the first son of the former President of Gabon, first appeared in court on September 19, 2023. The court session was not open to the public. As aforementioned, Noreddin Bongo Valentin, allegedly committed some of crimes like falsification or forging of the signature of the President of the Republic and embezzlement of public, jointly with the mother.

President Ali Bongo Suffered A Severe Stroke In 2018

It would be recalled that in 2018, the then President of Gabon, Ali ben Bongo Ondimba, suffered a severe stroke that rendered him incapacitated and kept him out of the country for a longtime. He was first of in Saudi Arabia for treatment, and later in Morocco. Even when President Ali Bongo returned to Gabon, it was clear that the physical effects of the stroke had not completely gone away. President Bongo was still partly incapacitated. Many observers questioned while he had not better step down from the office of President of the Republic.

It is alleged that the then First Lady, Sylvia Bongo, and her son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, took advantage of the situation of President Ali Bongo, especially during the long period that he was out of the country, to falsify documents and embezzle billions of franc CFA. By then the powerful Director of Cabinet at the Presidency, Laccruche Alihanga, who is French born, and who was allegedly appointed to office thanks to the influence of the French born First Lady, Sylvia Bongo, had become more like the Acting President of Gabon, and was constantly in possession of several billions of franc CFA of State funds, allegedly on the instruction of President Bongo. First Lady, Sylvia Bongo allegedly often took billions and billions of francs CFA from the Director of Cabinet. Sylvia Bongo and her son, Noureddin, alleged partners in crime, were reportedly living a very extravagant life style, ‘chopping money like groundnuts’.

There is some curiosity in the order the names of Ali Bongo’s first son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin. The name, Valentin, is the family name of the Noureddin’s French mother, Sylvia Valentin epse Bongo. The name was given to Sylvia’s first son apparently by her father, which is very normal. The issue is that some critics think that the official order of Noureddin’s name that appears as Noureddin Bongo Valentin, means that he prefers to be seen more as a French than a Gabonese.

August 30, 2023 Coup D’Etat

Meanwhile It would be recalled that there was a coup d’etat , or better still what Gabonese opposition leader, Albert Ondo Ossa insisted was a Palace Coup, in Gabon in the morning of August 30, 2023. This was shortly after the country’s Electoral Commission, announced the highly controversial result of the August 26, 2023 Presidential Elections, declaring the incumbent, Ali ben Bongo Ondimba, who is still to fully recover from the stroke he suffered in 2018, the winner of the election.

The Republican Guard of Gabon led the bloodless coup d’etat . The military over threw the Government of Ali Bongo Ondimba that had been in power since 2009. The ousted President, Ali Bongo and family including his wife, Sylvia Bongo, with the exception of Ali Bongo’s first son, Noureddin, were placed under house arrest. A group of six alleged partners in crime, that included Noureddin Bongo Valentin, were immediately arrested and locked up on that August 30, 2023. The fact that the charges leveled against Noureddin Bongo Valentin and his other group or ‘gang’ members were made known on that same day of the coup d’etat, clearly meant that the charges were prepared before that August 30 coup.

Ousted President Ali Bongo, Replaced By Cousin

Meanwhile in the afternoon of August 30, 2023, that is the day of the coup d’etat, the Commander of the Republican Guard, Brigadier General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, cousin of the ousted President, Ali Bongo Ondimba, became the new Strongman of Gabon. The fact that the coup d’etat was led the Republican Guard, the most powerful military unit in Gabon, whose Commander was the cousin of the ousted Head of State, and coupled with the fact that the ousted President was replaced by the same cousin, made many observers and analysts to qualify what happened in Gabon on August 30, 2023 as a Palace Coup. However the Gabonese authorities officially insist that it was a coup d’etat and not a palace coup.

Meanwhile General Oligui Nguema was sworn in as the President of the Committee for Transition and Restoration of Institutions, on September 4, 2023. One week after the coup d’etat, the new Military Leader of Gabon raised eyebrows in the country when he ordered that ousted President, Ali Bongo, be released from house arrest. He said Ali Bongo was also free to travel out of the country for medical attention. Some Gabonese accused General Oligui Nguema, of having freed the ousted President because he was his cousin.

What many people did not however know, was that while the ousted President, Ali Bongo was liberated, his wife, Sylvia, was still being kept under house arrest. Sylvia Bongo was maintained under house arrest until October 11 when she taken by security men to court on the instruction of an Examining Magistrate. From there, she was taken in the early hours of September 12 to the Central Prison in Libreviile, the Capital of Gabon, for pre –trial detention.

Ousted President, Ali Bongo, Refuses To Go On Exile

Meanwhile, when the Military Leader of Gabon, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, ordered the release from house arrest of his cousin, the ousted President, Ali Bongo, just one week after the military takeover, it was announced that that the former President was free to travel out of the country for medical attention. But since then, Ali Bongo, who has not fully recovered from the severe stroke he suffered in 2018, has not travelled out of the country.

It should be noted that when the military regime in Gabon talked of former President Ali Bongo being free to leave the country for medical attention, what the regime expected of him was that he should go on exile. That is what generally happens in such a situation. After a military takeover, if the ousted President is freed, he is secretly advised or encouraged to go on self-exile. For one thing, the regime in place would feel comfortable with the ousted President being out of the country, than in the country. The issue of the ousted President going on self – exile is even the more necessary for the case of Gabon, where the military leader is a cousin of the ousted President. The continuous presence of Ali Bongo in the country, more so in Libreville, can only make his cousin, General Nguema, more uncomfortable.

Ali Bongo Poses Condition To Go On Exile

But dependable sources in Libreville, Gabon have confirmed some western media reports, that the former President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, has made it clear that he cannot go on exile without his wife, Sylvia Bongo, and his first son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, both of whom are on pre – trial detention. So the condition that Ali Bongo, is posing to go on exile, is that the military regime headed by his cousin, should release his wife and first son from jail.

This really complicates things for General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. From all indications, his target in the palace coup was the wife and first son of his cousin (Ali Bongo), that is, Sylvia Bongo and Noureddin Bongo Valentin, who are both on pre –trial detention. So how can General Oligui Nguema order their release, more so with all the very serious charges that have been leveled against them? It looks impossible. But if Ali Bongo’s health situation degenerates, and he still refuses to travel out of the country for medical attention, what will General Oligui Nguema do? Let’s not forget, they are cousins. Let’s not forget, it was Ali Bongo’s father, Omar Bongo, as well as Ali Bongo himself, who made Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, to grow to become the most powerful military officer in Gabon. More so, if anything was to go wrong with Ali Bongo, the Military Leader of Gabon, General Oligui Nguema who is a member of the Bongo Clan, will certainly have serious problems especially with the clan.

Bitterness Against August 30, 2023 Coup In Gabon

Meanwhile it was no secret that leaders of member States of the Central Africa Region, CEEAC (“Communitaire Economique des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale), were all bitter with the overthrow of the Bongo regime in Gabon on August 30, 2023. The issue was certainly not just because that there was a coup d’etat or a palace coup, which is indisputably an unconstitutional and undemocratic way to get to power. But there was also the issue that there was change in Gabon. This was of course not surprising, considering the fact that almost all, if not all, of the Heads of States in Central Africa are either more of monarchs or would like to become monarchs. The Central Africa Region for example have the longest as well as the second longest serving Presidents in the world – President Teodore Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equtorial Guinea, and Paul Biya of Cameroon.

So it was not surprising that the leaders in the Central Africa Region were strongly against the August 30, 2023 bloodless change in Gabon, even if the people of Gabon jammed the streets to celebrate the change. Immediately after the coup, the Presidency of CEEAC which from 2022 was being held by President Ali Bongo of Gabon was withdrawn from Gabon by the Presidents of the member States of Gabon, and given to President Teodore Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, who was the Vice President of CEEAC. Obiang Nguema thus holds the posts of President and Vice President of CEEAC, accumulatively. Gabon was even threatened with suspension from CEEAC as sanction.

Incarceration Of Former First Lady Delayed Visit To Cameroon

Meanwhile the new military regime, or better still the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions of Gabon headed by Brigadier General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, worked hard behind the scene to finally secure the acceptance of the Presidents of the seven other countries of CEEAC, to officially visit those countries to explained the reasons for the August 30 coup, and to also plead that Gabon should not be suspended from CEEAC. The President of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions of Gabon, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, started the tour of the Central African Region with a visit to Equatorial Guinea where he was received by President Obiang Nguema. The Gabonese Military Leader was in Brazzaville, Congo Republic on October 1, and travelled to Bangui, Central African Republic on October 4. He was in Djamena, Chad on October 9, and also travelled to Kinshasha, DR Congo on October 11, and was in Kigali, Rwanda, on October 16. General Oligui Nguema was received in the different countries by their Presidents. It should also be noted that he did not spend a night in any of the countries.

Meanwhile General Oligui Nguema was supposed to end his visit to countries of the Central Arica Region, with a visit to Yaounde, Cameroon, a few days after the visit to Rwanda. But Yaounde, or better still President Biya, was so furious with the incarceration of the former First Lady of Gabon, Sylvia Bongo, on October 12, that the visit of General Oligui Nguema to Cameroon was put off. It took over a month of lobbying, for President Biya to finally accept to receive General Oligui Nguema in Cameroon, and this took place precisely on December 6, 2023. Speaking at the end of the visit to Cameroon, the President of Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions in Gabon, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, said : “I think the visit was important for us, because it was a visit of explanation of what is happening in Gabon”. That said it all.

“I Asked For Pardon, And He Understood Me”

Meanwhile speaking during a visit to a locality towards the border between Gabon and Cameroon, to launch a road project, the President of Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, Brigadier General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, among other things revisited his visit to Cameroon. Speakingwhile walking around, gesticulating, throwing in some jokes but being serious at the same time, General Oligui Nguema referred to President Biya as, “Grand Doyen, Papa Paul Biya du Cameroun”. He disclosed that during his December 6 visit to Cameroon when he received in audience by President Biya, whom he also called “Papa Popol”, he asked for pardon or forgiveness, and that President Biya understood him (“J’ai demamder pardon, et il ma compris”). He said President Biya told him to go back home (Gabon) and work.

General Oligui Nguema also said in a light hearted manner, the very important reality or historical fact about his tribe and that of President Biya of Cameroon. “Nous sommes des Fangs”, meaning that, they are both members of the large Fang tribe. Then he added that between Fang people, everything is settled at home. It should be noted Bongo Clan in Gabon as well as the Obiang Nguemas of Equatorial Guinea, are all Fangs. The South Region of Cameroon is part of the Fang tribe. So the Fang tribe is in power in three neighbouring countries – Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is even alleged that when President Paul Biya of Cameroon and President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo have a one – to –one chat, they talked in the dialect. The Fangs of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon were one people, until ‘whitemen’ came and split them into three different countries. That is whiy there are many families in the South Region of Cameroon, that have family links with families that are Gabonese and Equato Guineans.