Mauritania: prosecution of opponents of former president dropped

Text by: RFI Follow

Mauritanian justice makes a gesture towards three opponents of the former power. The proceedings concerning them are purely and simply canceled. Two of them, businessman Mohamed Bouamatou and former adviser to President Compaoré, Moustapha Limam Chafi, also see their arrest warrant canceled. By this gesture of appeasement, President Ghazouani responds to a request from the opposition and also stands out a little more from his predecessor.

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The first concerned is Moustapha Limam Chafi, intermediary in several cases of hostage release. This man of the shadows and network, serving for years the Burkinabe presidency, was prevented in 2011 from staying in Mauritania following the issuance of an arrest warrant.

The second is none other than the direct cousin of the former head of state, Mohamed Bouamatou, a wealthy banker. The two fell out after a financial dispute. The noose then tightened around the businessman and his relatives. He is also accused of having wanted to bribe senators.

Moustapha Limam Chafi and Mohamed Bouamatou are therefore two very influential men for different reasons, who do not belong to any political party and who have become over the years the bane of the old power.

Camouflet for the former president

Reinstating them in their right is a strong signal sent by the new head of state, first towards the opposition which demanded the settlement of these files to relax the political climate. But also in the direction of Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. This announcement is a real slap, would have said some of his relatives. In fact, this gesture widens the gap that has separated the current president from his predecessor since last fall.

Unsurprisingly, the decision of the Mauritanian justice is greeted today by William Bourdon, the lawyer of Mohamed Bouamatou. " It is not entirely a surprise, since there were signs of appeasement, but it is an announcement which goes in the right direction ," he declares. These procedures were only possible due to a shameless, systematic exploitation for years of Mauritanian justice by Aziz, the former president. And, of course, that restores the honor of Mohamed Bouamatou ”.

" These years of persecution were unbearable ," says the lawyer. They led him into exile, prevented him from being at his mother's side when she was dying and from attending the funeral. This ban was very cruel to him and his family. So it is only justice and we must thank the new President Ghazouani for letting the justice act. And it is this respect for independent justice, which today makes it possible to envisage a definitive classification of these totally fabricated procedures ”.

This restores the honor of Mohamed Bouamatou.

Mauritania: William Bourdon, lawyer for Mohamed Bouamatou, welcomes the announcement of the discontinuance of the proceedings against him

► Read also : Mauritania: tensions between the current and the former president

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• Justice
• Mauritania
• Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
• Mohamed Ould Ghazouani

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