A court in Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott has sentenced former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to five years in prison for money laundering and illicit enrichment.
He was also fined 60 million ouguiyas ($1.6 million) and ordered to return the assets seized by the authorities. Abdel Aziz, who ruled the West African country from 2008 to 2019, was accused of embezzling public funds, mismanaging oil revenue, selling state property, and granting favors to a Chinese fishing company. He denied the charges and claimed he was being persecuted for political reasons.
The verdict was announced on Monday in Mauritanian, December 5, 2023, after a year-long investigation initiated by parliament and a trial that lasted for several weeks.
Abdel Aziz’s lawyers said they would appeal the decision and denounced the lack of due process and fair trial.Abdel Aziz, a former general who came to power in a coup, was arrested in June 2021 after he failed to report to a judge as part of his judicial supervision.
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He had been under house arrest since May 2021 and had to seek permission before leaving the capital.Abdel Aziz’s son-in-law, two former prime ministers, and several businessmen were also charged in the same case, but their sentences have not been made public yet.
The prosecution said that cash and assets worth nearly $115 million had been confiscated during the investigation.Abdel Aziz’s successor, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, who was his former right-hand man and defense minister, has vowed to fight corruption and reform the economy.
He has also distanced himself from his former mentor and expelled him from the ruling party that Abdel Aziz had founded.
Mauritania, a desert nation of about 4.5 million people, is one of the poorest countries in the world and ranks low on the human development index. It is also facing security challenges from Islamist militants in the Sahel region, where it is part of a regional force along with France and other countries. #Mauritanian