Mauritania’s former president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on corruption charges after an appeal to a Nouakchott court. The court’s ruling follows an earlier sentence in December 2023, which had handed him a five-year prison term. Both the state and Aziz’s defense appealed the initial ruling.
Aziz, who ruled Mauritania for a decade after seizing power in a 2008 coup, was convicted on charges of economic crimes and abuse of power. He was an ally of Western nations in the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel region but has consistently denied the corruption allegations against him.
The defense, led by lawyer Mohameden Ichidou, has vowed to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court, accusing the ruling of reflecting undue influence from the executive branch over the judiciary. “It is a decision that reflects the pressure the executive branch exerts on the judiciary,” Ichidou said.
On the other hand, Brahim Ebety, a lawyer representing the Mauritanian state, praised the ruling, stating that the evidence had sufficiently proven Aziz’s involvement in illicit enrichment, abuse of power, and money laundering.
Aziz’s political career saw him serve as president from 2009 to 2019, after winning elections following his coup. His departure from office marked a peaceful transition to his successor, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who initially had been an ally but later supported charges against the former leader.