A special criminal court in Libreville has sentenced former First Lady Sylvia Bongo Ondimba and her son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, to 20 years in prison each.

The court found them guilty of embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, concealment of public funds, criminal association, and forgery. The trial was conducted in absentia, as both defendants are currently in London.

The court also issued arrest warrants and ordered the pair to pay damages of about 1,000 billion CFA francs for “moral harm.”

Sylvia Bongo is the wife of former President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who was ousted in a military coup in August 2023. Noureddin Bongo previously played a coordinating role in the presidency after his father suffered a stroke in 2018.

Both Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo hold French citizenship. Noureddin Bongo called the verdict a “legal farce,” claiming that witnesses were coerced.