Gabon’s former First Lady, Franco-Gabonese Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin, wife of ex-President Ali Bongo Ondimba, was arrested on Wednesday for alleged money laundering and forgery, her lawyer François Zimeray said on Thursday, France 24 reported.
Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, 60, was subsequently sent to Libreville’s central prison after a lengthy hearing by an examining magistrate.
Ondimba Valentin had been charged on Sept. 28 with money laundering and forgery, and had already been under house arrest in Libreville since the day after the August 30 military coup, when Gabonese army commanders took control of the country minutes after the announcement that President Ali Bongo had won re-election, an election they claimed was invalid.
Bongo, who had been in office since 2009, replaced his father, Omar Bongo, who had been in power for 42 years. However, the younger Bongo had been debilitated since a serious stroke in 2018, after which he spent many months convalescing and undergoing physical therapy in both the UK and Morocco. Gabon’s new military junta previously announced it would permit him to leave the country “for medical reasons.”
The latest charges by Gabon’s new strongman against the former first lady come as part of accusations against the entire Bongo family, in particular one of the former president’s sons, all of whom are in detention, along with members of his cabinet, accused of having embezzled massive amounts of public funds and running the country in an “irresponsible” and “unpredictable” manner.
The military has also accused those close to the deposed president of having manipulated him, specifically by “forging” his signature.