LIBREVILLE, July 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three relatives of deposed first lady of Gabon Sylvia Bongo have been arrested in an anti-drug operation in the country, the public prosecutor’s office said.
The arrests on Tuesday came days after she and her husband, Gabon’s former leader Ali Bongo Ondimba, testified in a French court against the perpetrators of the 2023 coup that ousted him from power.
Ali Bongo, whose family ruled the central African nation for 55 years, had been under house arrest in the capital Libreville since being overthrown in August 2023.
His wife Syliva and son Noureddin, who were accused of embezzling public funds, had also been in detention for months, during which they allege they were tortured. The family were released to Angola in May.
Gabonese authorities arrested Sylvia Bongo’s brother-in-law, her nephew and the nephew’s partner on Tuesday as part of a “targeted intervention” at their home, public prosecutor Bruno Obiang Mve told a state broadcaster.
During a search, agents discovered “a significant quantity of drugs”, “illegally held firearms”, ammunition and “ivory tusks”, the prosecutor said.
Sylvia Bongo wrote on X on Tuesday that she was “horrified to learn of the abduction” of her brother-in-law and nephew “from their home in Libreville” by government agents.
She later said her nephew’s wife had been “kidnapped” after he was pressured by authorities to call her and “ask her to meet him at a specific location”.
“It was a trap,” Sylvia said.
Last week, in a Paris court, ex-president Ali Bongo, Sylvia and their son Noureddin — all French nationals — accused Gabonese authorities of torture and arbitrary detention after ousting Ali Bongo from power.
In court, Sylvia and Noureddin accused the government under Gabon’s new ruler, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, a former junta leader, of pressuring officials to convict them in Gabon.
“Is this blackmail in response to our speaking out? A maneuver to silence us? A bargaining chip?” Sylvia wrote on social media on Tuesday, referring to the arrest of her relatives.
She said images of her nephew were circulating online in which “he is seen surrounded by weapons, drugs, ivory”, alleging “a grotesque staging that no one can seriously believe”.
Sylvia and Noureddin are being prosecuted in Gabon for high treason, misappropriation of public funds and corruption.
Her trial in Gabon is scheduled for Nov 10, according to local media. — NNN-AGENCIES
