Former President of Mauritania Jailed Five Years for Corruption

Former President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has been sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering and illicit enrichment.

He had been on trial since January,2023 and has denied all corruption allegations leveled against him during his tenure as president of the North-West African country.

The court deliberated behind closed doors and found Mr. Abdel Aziz guilty of two of the 10 charges, following an inquiry into the allegations of and corruption. However, some of his associates who had also been on trial, including two former prime ministers were all acquitted.

The court also ordered the confiscation of those assets acquired through actions falling under these two qualifications, and disqualified former President Abdel Aziz from exercising his civil rights.

Prosecutors have said that Mr. Abdel Aziz’s conviction is historic.

However, one of his lawyers considered the ruling as “a political verdict targeting a man and his family”.

Abdel Aziz has the option of appealing his sentence at the Supreme Court.

Mr. Abdel Aziz assumed power from 2009 to 2019 after he successfully toppled sitting governments as a military high-ranking officer in 2005 and 2008 respectively and later transitioned to become president of State.

During his tenure, he was considered an ally of Western powers in the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel region.