Son of deposed Gabon president charged with corruption

The former Gabon president’s eldest son and dozens of his political associates have been charged with corruption by the new military government in the country. They were paraded on national television with bags full of cash…

Ali Bongo Ondimba’s son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, and several members of the deposed Gabonese president’s cabinet have been arrested and charged with corruption by public prosecutors.

The 31 year-old Noureddin Bongo Valentin was arrested shortly after the coup last month.

He was shown on national television with some of his father’s close associates standing in front of bags filled with cash allegedly confiscated from their residences.

The son of Ali Bongo and others are yet to respond to the charges raised against them by public prosecutors.

The deposed president, who was initially placed under house arrest in Libreville, the capital, for several days after the coup, is now “free to move about” and has the possibility of “travelling abroad”, General Oligui Nguema announced on September 6.

Mr. Bongo, who had ruled the oil-rich country of Central Africa since 2009, was removed from office by military authorities on August 30, only moments after being declared the winner of a presidential election.

The opposition and military coup leaders have called the outcome a sham and have accused his rule of extensive corruption and poor governance.

Recall that the Commonwealth of nations temporarily suspended Gabon after military officers overthrew President Ali Bongo.

The group, in a statement, said they “strongly condemned the unconstitutional removal of the elected government from office”.