Former Mauritania president refuses to reveal source of wealth

Former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz refused to answer questions relating to the source of his wealth during a press conference held on Thursday.

Ould Abdel Aziz indicated that the first year of President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani’s rule witnessed “corruption scandals”, and posed the question: “Where did the army’s money go over the decades?”

He called for launching an investigation to uncover corruption cases, stating that: “The corrupt have returned to power, and they present themselves today as corruption fighters.”

Ould Abdel Aziz confirmed that he declared his possessions to the Supreme Court, revealing some details of his arrest by the Economic Crime Police, and explained: “During my arrest for about seven days, the interrogators held three meetings with me, each meeting lasted seven minutes, and they asked me 40 questions.”

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He pointed out that the budget of the presidency increased by 88 per cent and that of parliament increased by 30 per cent, adding that the deputies received an increase in salaries of 250,000 ouguiyas.

The former state official considers that the MPs received an implicit bribe for their work in the Parliamentary Investigation Committee.

Ould Abdel Aziz stated that he supports the Socialist Democratic Unionist Party, noting: “I have not yet joined it, but I can do so in the future.”

He denied rumours that he had attempted to stage a military coup last year, and concluded by asserting that he: “Does not want the office.”