Nouakchott – Mauritania’s ex-president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, is to go on trial for alleged corruption along with 11 figures from his former regime, judicial sources said on Wednesday.
Abdel Aziz, who came to power in a coup in 2008, stepped down in 2019 after two presidential terms, and was succeeded by a former general, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.
The 12 have been charged for suspected corruption, money laundering and illicit enrichment, dating from the time when he was in power.
The accused include one of Abdel Aziz’s son-in-laws, two former prime ministers and several businessmen and former ministers.
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“The examining magistrate has decided to send these (12) individuals, who have been charged with corruption, to the criminal court tasked with judging crimes of corruption,” a magistrate at the public prosecutor’s office in the capital Nouakchott said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
No date has been announced for the trial.
Fourteen people were initially charged, but charges against two – a former finance minister and ex-chief of the national mining company SNIM – have been dropped, the source said.
The former president’s lawyer, Mohameden Ould Icheddou, confirmed that the 12 had been committed to trial.
“We haven’t received the official notification yet… we will react at the appropriate moment,” he told AFP.
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Abdel Aziz was placed in custody last June for alleged breach of bail conditions and disturbing public order, but was released in early January for health reasons.
The inquiry began shortly after he left office, starting with a parliamentary probe that in August 2020. He was charged in March 2021.
The probe focused on Mauritania’s oil revenues during his presidency, the sale of state assets, the winding up of a public company in charge of food supplies and the activities of a Chinese fishing company.
Abdel Aziz says he is the victim of score-settling by rivals and persistently refused to speak to the examining magistrate.
He argues that he has immunity from prosecution under the constitution.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Unspash
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