Ex-Mauritania President Ould Abdel Aziz sentenced to 15 years in prison for corruption

A court in Mauritania yesterday sentenced former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to 15 years in prison on corruption charges, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The ruling was issued during a session dedicated to announcing the verdict in the “Decade of Corruption” case, referring to Ould Abdel Aziz’s ten-year rule, in which he and several of his senior officials were charged.

The court also ordered the dissolution of the Al-Rahma Charity Association, which was managed by Badr Ould Abdel Aziz, the former president’s son, and the confiscation of its assets.

Ould Abdel Aziz’s legal team is expected to appeal the decision.

The case is considered the longest trial in the country’s history. Hearings began January 2023, and initial verdicts were issued in December that year before the case moved to a higher court.

Ould Abdel Aziz and the former officials faced charges of corruption, illicit enrichment, money laundering, granting unjustified privileges in government contracts and causing harm to the state’s interests.

Authorities froze 41 billion ouguiyas ($100 million) as part of the case, more than half of which were assets belonging to Ould Abdel Aziz and his family, according to media reports.

Ould Abdel Aziz served two terms from 2009 to 2019 but did not run in the June 2019 elections, instead endorsing his successor, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who began a five-year term in August of that year.