Mauritania: NGOs mobilize to recover ill-gotten goods

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

Seyllou / AFP

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2 min

14 Mauritanian civil society organizations decided this Friday, September 4 to become a civil party in the ongoing legal process in cases of corruption, embezzlement and theft of public property, against former leaders of the country.

A decision motivated by the parliamentary inquiry report of last July, very critical of the management of former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz between 2008 and 2019.

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With our correspondent in Nouakchott,

Salem Mejbour Salem

The collective of organizations intends to register its action within the framework of an "alliance for the restitution to the Mauritanian people of their ill-gotten gains".

Mohamed Abdallahi Bellil, President of the Mauritanian Anti-Corruption Observatory, defines the mission of the NGOs: “ 

If these assets prove to be misappropriated and looted, we add our voice to the many voices demanding the return of ill-gotten assets to Mauritanians who need it.

 "

Former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz qualifies as unfounded the revelations of corruption and embezzlement of public property suspected by the parliamentary inquiry report.

Smear campaign?

Its supporters speak of a smear campaign orchestrated by the state and relayed by the media, Parliament, the police and now NGOs.

" 

These famous NGOs, which today remember the possibility for them to constitute themselves in civil action ... but in fact, it is thanks to President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz that these NGOs have acquired this possibility.

We are expecting other similar initiatives

 , ”said the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Isselkou Izid Bih, a loyalist to the former head of state.

According to the former head of Mauritanian diplomacy, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz " 

scares

 " the current power, which, according to him, would do anything to " 

neutralize

 " him politically.

►

To read also: Mauritania: ex-president Abdel Aziz claims to be the victim of a "political settling of scores"

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