Source: Africa Publicity
The former First Lady of Gabon, Sylvia Bongo and her son, Noureddin Bongo, have been jailed 20 years for embezzlement and corruption.
Mrs. Bongo and her son were found guilty on Tuesday night, November 11, 2025, following a two-day trial.
The mother and son were not present in court. But the court fined both of them 100 million CFA francs ($177,000).
Noureddin was ordered to pay an extra 1.2 trillion CFA francs ($2.1 billion) for financial damages suffered by the Gabonese state.
Sylvia and Noureddin were accused of exploiting former President Ali Bongo’s health condition following his stroke diagnosis in 2018 to run Gabon for their own personal gain.
They denied the charges leveled against them prior to their trial, saying the charges were “legal farce.”
Incumbent Gabonese President, Brice Oligui Nguema, overthrew Ali Bongo in August 2023. After the coup, Sylvia and Noureddin were detained in Gabon for 20 months before being released in May and allowed to leave the country for London on medical grounds.
