Sylvia Bongo, the wife of Gabon’s deposed president Ali Bongo, has been charged with money laundering, receiving stolen property, forgery and using forged documents.
Prosecutor André Patrick Roponat announced on Friday that the case of Sylvia Bongo had been brought before the investigating judge the day before. He also said that his house arrest order was upheld.
The accusations follow weeks of uncertainty over Bongo’s fate after she was placed under house arrest on August 30 when the military deposed her husband.
The decision to charge the former first lady was made after her son Noureddin Bongo Valentin was also charged with corruption and embezzlement and detained before trial. However, deposed President Ali Bongo, whose tenure was rife with corruption allegations, was released by the military junta and allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment if he wished.