0
0
Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba has been placed under house arrest, while one of his sons has been detained on charges of “treason,” according to military officials who made the announcement on Wednesday. The military officers declared that they had successfully ousted the government.
In a statement conveyed through state TV, they reported, “President Ali Bongo is currently under house arrest, in the company of his family and medical professionals.”
Bongo’s son and trusted confidant, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, along with his chief of staff, Ian Ghislain Ngoulou, as well as his deputy, two additional presidential advisers, and the two highest-ranking officials within the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), have reportedly been taken into custody, according to a statement from a military spokesperson.
“They stand accused of a range of charges including treason, embezzlement, corruption, and the forgery of the president’s signature,” he stated.
In events preceding this, on Wednesday, military officials announced the overthrow of Bongo. This action came merely hours after he had been proclaimed the winner of Saturday’s elections, following his 14-year tenure in power.
In a broadcasted announcement, it was conveyed that the voting outcomes had been invalidated, and there was a dissolution of “all the establishments of the nation.”
