Gabon: new judicial episode in the French part of the case of ill-gotten gains
The Paris court in the 17th arrondissement (illustration image).
AFP - PHILIPPE LOPEZ
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
A French judge recently rejected the Gabonese state's request for civil action.
His conclusions, severe, leaked in the press.
Gabon's lawyers have announced that they are appealing this decision.
The spokesperson for the presidency denounced him as "
relentless
".
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Facing the Gabonese press on Wednesday, Jessye Ella Ekogha denounced the "
multiplication of the disclosure of confidential information in ongoing proceedings
", which "
does not honor
French justice
".
What constitutes, according to him, “
a firm will to damage the image of the country
”.
The spokesperson for the presidency reacted to the publication on Monday by the Mediapart news site of the content of the order issued on February 7 by Judge Dominique Blanc, in which he rejects the civil party application of the State of Gabon. .
For the French magistrate,
the children of Omar Bongo
, in the first place the current president of the country, his son Ali Bongo, could not ignore the "
fraudulent
" origin of the heritage from which they benefited.
Heritage estimated in France at 85 million euros and largely from “
commissions paid by the oil company Elf
”.
Judge Blanc adds that the Libreville lawyers have not provided "
any writing or any document justifying damage in direct relation to the offences
", and that "
the facts […] could not have been ignored by the State Gabonese, several of whose members, at the highest level, appear and/or are involved in the procedure
".
Defenders of the Gabonese state believe that the alleged embezzlement constitutes "a reduction in public revenue".
They announced to AFP on Tuesday their intention to appeal this order.
Until then, only intermediaries,
including the BNP Paribas bank
, have been charged in the Gabonese section of the "BMA" affair.
No member of the Bongo family, who disputes any embezzlement, has been indicted.
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