Ex-Mauritania president jailed as corruption charges case continues

Former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has been arrested after a judge in charge of a corruption probe ordered his incarceration for failing to abide by the terms of his judicial supervision.

According to RT, the judge heard the arguments of Ould Abdel Aziz in the Palace of Justice before deciding to refer him to detention.

Strict security measures were imposed in the vicinity of the Palace of Justice during the hearing.

Ould Abdel Aziz will be placed in a private apartment for two weeks as part of coronavirus health measures, and moved to a jail thereafter.

The former president stepped down in mid-2019; however, a parliamentary committee launched a probe into his involvement in corruption files in mid-2020.

Last March, the Public Prosecution charged Ould Abdel Aziz with corruption, money laundering and unjust enrichment.

READ: Withholding files in the case of ex-Mauritania president shows it’s political, lawyers say