In a landmark ruling on Monday, a court in Nouakchott, Mauritania, sentenced former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to five years in prison. The conviction comes after a high-profile trial that began in January 2023, marking Aziz as one of the few African ex-leaders to be held accountable for illicit enrichment during their time in power.
Aziz, alongside ten other prominent figures including two former prime ministers, former ministers, and businessmen, faced charges of “illicit enrichment”, “abuse of office”, “influence peddling”, and “money laundering”. The court, after deliberation, found Aziz guilty of illicit enrichment and money laundering, ordering the confiscation of assets related to these crimes and disqualifying him from exercising his civil rights.
Despite the gravity of the ruling, the 66-year-old former president, detained since January 24, 2023, after an earlier detention period in 2021, received the heaviest sentence among the defendants. The court acquitted two former prime ministers and two former ministers, while others faced varying sentences, with the most severe being a two-year suspended sentence and six months’ imprisonment.
Aziz, who led Mauritania, a country straddling the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa, until 2019, was known for stabilizing the nation amid coups and jihadist activities. He notably orchestrated the transition of power to his successor, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, following elections in 2019 – a first non-forceful transition in Mauritania’s history.
Aziz’s defense team decried the trial as politically motivated, with one of his lawyers, Mohameden Ould Icheddou, labeling it “a political trial” and “very political in its verdict too.” Another counsel, Mohamed Moloud Khyar, announced plans to appeal the “iniquitous verdict.”
The prosecution’s case against Aziz highlighted the amassed wealth of 67 million euros, which he acquired over more than ten years at the helm of the Sahelian country. In a dramatic turn during his final speech at the trial, Aziz alleged a plot against him, claiming his successor, Ghazouani, had given him two suitcases filled with several million euros the day after the 2019 election, suggesting complicity in the alleged corruption.
