Noureddin Bongo Valentin, the eldest son of Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimb, attends the Gabon Marathon in Libreville on December 1, 2019. (Photo by Steeve Jordan / AFP)
Libreville: The son of Ali Bongo Ondimba and several allies of the ousted Gabon president have been charged with corruption and placed in custody, the state prosecutor told AFP Wednesday.
Bongo's eldest son Noureddin Bongo Valentin and former presidential spokesman Jessye Ella Ekogha, as well as four others close to the deposed leader, "have been charged and placed in provisional detention" on Tuesday, said Libreville prosecutor Andre-Patrick Roponat.
Bongo, 64, who had ruled the oil-rich central African country since 2009, was overthrown by military leaders on August 30, moments after being proclaimed the winner in a presidential election.
The result was branded a fraud by the opposition and the military coup leaders, who have also accused his regime of widespread corruption and bad governance.
On the same day as the coup, soldiers arrested one of Bongo's sons and five senior cabinet officials.
National TV showed rolling images of those arrested in front of suitcases filled with cash allegedly seized from their homes.
After the coup, Bongo's wife Sylvia Bongo Valentin was placed under house arrest in the capital Libreville "for her protection", according to authorities.
