The spouse of Gabon's ousted president Ali Bongo Ondimba, who has been under house arrest since a coup in the Central African country in late August, has been incarcerated, according to her lawyer's statement on Thursday.


Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin, suspected of allegedly embezzling public funds, was jailed late on Wednesday, her lawyer Francois Zimeray told AFP, denouncing the “arbitrary… illegal procedure”.

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Bongo’s wife was charged on September 28 with money laundering, forgery and falsification of records.

Since the military coup that deposed her husband as president, she has been under house arrest in Libreville.

The military has accused the former head of state and his inner circle of tampering with the election results. They have openly claimed that his wife has been exerting influence over him since he suffered a severe stroke in 2018.