Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Mauritania's former president, was sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering and "illicit enrichment."
Abdel Aziz ruled the West African country for a decade after taking power in a 2008 coup, and he was a Western ally in the war against Islamist extremists in the Sahel region. He had been on trial since January and had rejected all allegations of wrongdoing.
Following an investigation into claims of misappropriation of public property and corruption, the court found Abdel Aziz guilty of two of ten crimes late on Monday.
One of his lawyers said the ruling was "a political verdict targeting a man and his family." Prosecutors called the former president's conviction "historic."
The court, which specializes in corruption and economic crimes, acquitted some of Abdel Aziz's friends, including two former prime ministers, who were also on trial.
In 2019, Abdel Aziz was succeeded by a political ally, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who remains president, although Abdel Aziz's government rapidly came under fire for activities such as deals on offshore oil projects.
Abdel Aziz has the right to file an appeal with the Supreme Court.
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