A committee of the Mauritanian parliament was charged with investigating what are believed to be corruption deals that occurred in some vital economic sectors during the past decade. A summons to the former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to appear before her.
The committee asked - the problem of parliamentarians loyal and opposition - Ould Abdel Aziz to attend a hearing scheduled for next Thursday, to testify about "facts and actions that may constitute a serious violation of the constitution and laws", which occurred during his reign (2008-2019), according to a document published by the means Mauritanian media.
The head of the investigation committee, Parliamentarian Habib Ould Ajay, wrote in the summons to address the former president that "during the committee's hearings, you were reminded of the name and adjective directly in facts and deeds that could constitute a serious violation of the constitution and the laws of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania."
He added in the message - whose image spread on social media - that "in order to highlight the truth", the committee decided to summon the former president to a hearing held on Thursday at 11 am in Parliament headquarters "to provide information and clarifications that you have on these issues."
Ould Ajay did not specify the files on which he intended to hear the former president; However, when the MPs agreed to form this committee, they were asked to investigate several files, and deals described as major corruption deals during the rule of Ould Abdel Aziz, including managing the country's oil revenues, selling public property in Nouakchott, and liquidating a public company that was supplying the country with food, in addition to Chinese fishing company file Poly Hongdong, and other large files.
As of Monday evening, Ould Abdel Aziz and his close associates did not make any statement, especially regarding whether the former president intended to accept the committee's invitation, or he would refuse to attend.
Since its formation, the commission of inquiry held several sessions, during which it listened to a number of former prime ministers, ministers and senior officials during the era of Ould Abdel Aziz.
Ould Abdel Aziz - who overthrew the first elected civilian president in 2008 - is one of the most controversial presidents in Mauritania, and he has been known to be tough on his political and economic opponents, many of whom have been harassed, imprisoned and mutilated during his rule.
Abdulaziz came to power in 2008 with a military coup, before he was elected president in 2009, and then re-elected in 2014.
In August 2019, he was succeeded in the presidency by Mohamed Ould Cheikh El-Ghazwany, who was during the reign of Ould Abdel Aziz as Chief of Staff, and then served as Minister of Defense.
The summons of the former president before the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, which formed the end of last January, is an additional indication that he is facing, under the current president, the beginning of a resounding fall.