Africa-Press. Lawyers for Alain Claude Billie By Nze, the main opposition leader in Gabon, stated in a press release that their client has been imprisoned for over three months, after the government revived a private financial dispute dating back 18 years as a pretext to marginalize him.
Nze was serving as Prime Minister when Brice Oligui Nguema, the current president of Gabon, seized power in a coup in 2023. Nze competed against Nguema in last year’s elections but was unsuccessful. Nze’s party, “Together for Gabon,” announced his imprisonment on its Facebook page.
Nze’s lawyers reported that he has spent 100 days in “political and arbitrary” solitary confinement since his arrest on April 15. They explained that the reason for his arrest is a private dispute over an amount of 7,600 euros (8,650 USD) dating back to 2008. His party stated that he is accused of fraud and breach of trust in this dispute.
Nze’s lawyers indicated that he is being held in a five-square-meter cell in a prison in the capital, Libreville, without lighting. They added that they have been denied access to the case files, and the investigating judge stated that he no longer possesses those documents. The Libreville Court of Appeal rejected a request from the defense to annul the proceedings on June 2. Arthur Verkin, Nze’s lawyer, stated: “A man is being held based on a case file that his defense team has never been allowed to see.”
The August 2023 coup in Gabon ended the rule of Ali Bongo and his family, which lasted for over five decades. Nguema was elected president in elections aimed at restoring civilian rule in this oil-producing nation in Central Africa.
