Former Mauritanian President Jailed For 15 Years Over Office Abuse
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Mauritania’s former president, received a 15-year prison sentence on Wednesday.
Aziz has been imprisoned on corruption allegations following an appeal to a Nouakchott court by both the state and Aziz’s defence against a sentence imposed in 2023.
Abdel Aziz led the West African country for a decade after taking power in a 2008 coup, which was followed by an election a year later.
He supported Western countries in their war against Islamist insurgents in the Sahel.
🚨🇲🇷EX-PRESIDENT WHO STOLE $70 MILLION JUST GOT 15 YEARS IN PRISON
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 15, 2025
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz ran Mauritania for a decade, helped lead two coups, and called himself a corruption fighter.
Turns out, he was also stuffing his own pockets — investigators found over $70 million in… https://t.co/Tf6W63VA4W pic.twitter.com/RHvElOmbS7
Abdel Aziz was convicted of commercial offenses and misuse of power.
He was first sentenced to five years in prison in December 2023, but the state challenged the leniency of the term.
Aziz’s lawyers filed an appeal, arguing that only a high court of justice could try a former president.
“It is a decision that reflects the pressure the executive branch exerts on the judiciary,” defence lawyer Mohameden Ichidou told Reuters.
He also stated that the defence would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
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Brahim Ebety, one of the plaintiff lawyers for the Mauritanian state, applauded the decision.
“All the evidence has established that the former president, who single-handedly ruled the entire country, is the perpetrator of illicit enrichment, abuse of power, and money laundering,” he said.
Un tribunal mauritanien a condamné à quinze ans de prison ferme l'ex-président Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, pour avoir abusé de son pouvoir afin d'amasser 67 millions d'euros de patrimoine. pic.twitter.com/G7ueEHQoW8
— Le journal Afrique TV5MONDE (@JTAtv5monde) May 15, 2025
Abdel Aziz was elected to a five-year term in 2009 and again in 2014.
An election in 2019 resulted in the peaceful transfer of power to Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who was initially an Abdel Aziz loyalist but was later charged by parliament.
Former Mauritanian President Jailed For 15 Years Over Office Abuse
