Former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz faced a significant legal ruling on Monday, being sentenced to a five-year jail term by a Nouakchott court. This trial, which commenced in January 2023, involved Aziz and ten others, including ex-prime ministers, former ministers, and businessmen, charged with multiple offenses such as “illicit enrichment,” “abuse of office,” “influence peddling,” and “money laundering.”
After a series of closed-door deliberations, the court found Aziz guilty solely on charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering. The ruling included the confiscation of assets acquired through these illicit means, and Aziz was additionally disqualified from exercising his civil rights.
Aziz, aged 66, becomes one of the few former African heads of state convicted of illicit enrichment while in power. Despite the sentencing, the former president seemed composed as he received the verdict.
His imprisonment marks a stark turn in his political trajectory under the leadership of his successor, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, Aziz’s former confidant and collaborator in the past. Ghazouani, previously Aziz’s aide and Defense Minister, emerged as his political adversary, overseeing Aziz’s legal downfall.
Among the defendants, Aziz received the most severe sentence, while others, including former prime ministers and ministers, were acquitted or handed suspended sentences. Aziz remains the only one mandated to serve time in prison.
According to one of Aziz’s defense lawyers, Mohameden Ould Icheddou, the trial was perceived as highly political, reflecting in the judgment. Another counsel, Mohamed Moloud Khyar, confirmed plans to appeal the “unjust” verdict.
Aziz 壯陽藥 was a pivotal figure in Mauritania until 2019, steering the country toward stability after years of political turbulence. However, since his indictment in 2021, allegations emerged, suggesting he had accumulated a substantial fortune while in power.
During his trial, Aziz vehemently denied these accusations, portraying them as a political conspiracy. In his closing speech, he refuted the charges, alleging that Ghazouani had given him millions of euros after assuming the presidency, a claim Ghazouani consistently refuted.
Aziz’s legal battle and sentencing mark a significant development in Mauritania’s political landscape, ending an era marked by his leadership and subsequent power transition, which until now, was the country’s first peaceful change in leadership.
