A court in Gabon has sentenced Sylvia Bongo, the former first lady, and her son Noureddin Bongo to 20 years in prison after they were found guilty of embezzlement and corruption.
The ruling was delivered late Tuesday night, marking a dramatic turn in the country’s ongoing reckoning with the legacy of the Bongo family, which ruled the oil-rich nation for more than five decades.
The two-day trial began on Monday and concluded the next evening, proceeding without the attendance of either Sylvia or Noureddin.
Both were tried in absentia and ordered to pay heavy financial penalties.
The court fined each of them 100 million CFA francs (about $177,000) and further directed Noureddin to pay an additional 1.2 trillion CFA francs ($2.1 billion) in damages to the Gabonese state.
Prosecutors accused the two of taking control of state affairs and resources after former President Ali Bongo suffered a stroke in 2018, allegedly using his weakened condition to run the country for their own benefit.
Ahead of the hearing, the pair dismissed the accusations, describing the process as “a legal farce.”
Ali Bongo was removed from power in August 2023 in a military coup led by Brice Oligui Nguema, who later transitioned to civilian leadership and was elected president earlier this year.
The former president has not faced prosecution and was released from house arrest following the coup.
Authorities said he was free to move as he wished, though reports suggested he had remained largely out of public view.
Following the military takeover, Sylvia and Noureddin were detained in Gabon for nearly 20 months before being released in May.
They were later allowed to travel to London for medical reasons.
Their absence from court this week drew attention, with state prosecutor Eddy Minang telling the judges on Monday that they were “surprised” not to see the former first lady and her son present when the hearing began.
While the sentencing of Sylvia and Noureddin has concluded, the wider corruption trial is still underway.
Local journalists said nine other accused individuals, all former allies of the Bongo family, were in court at the start of proceedings. Their trial is expected to continue through Friday.
The Bongos have long dominated Gabon’s political and economic landscape.
Omar Bongo, Ali’s father, ruled the country for 42 years before his death in 2009, after which Ali took over and governed for 14 years until his ouster.
Despite Gabon’s considerable oil wealth, nearly one-third of its population continues to live below the poverty line, a reality critics have often cited as evidence of corruption and inequality under the family’s long rule.
