Gabon was recently shaken by the release of Brice Laccruche Alihanga, former chief of staff of Ali Bongo, who was in disgrace and imprisoned since December 2019. However, this release is not without conditions since he is under arrest. residence, as did two of his relatives.
The image published on social networks at the time of his release from prison shocked many people. Brice Laccruche Alihanga appears unrecognizable, having lost considerable weight. He appears frail and tired, citing health problems which were cited by his lawyers to request his early release. However, those in power had long ignored this request, even describing Ali Bongo’s former chief of staff as a manipulator who sought to escape his sentence.
However, during a confrontation before an investigating judge last week, Sylvia Bongo, the former first lady and suspected of complicity in keeping Brice Laccruche Alihanga in prison, would have been surprised by the lamentable state in which was the former strongman of the presidential palace.
Although this conditional release can be seen as a humanitarian gesture, the legal troubles of Laccruche Alihanga and his relatives are not over. They are still being prosecuted for misappropriation of public funds and must therefore face justice.
This release only highlights the political tensions and internal rivalries shaking Gabon. It is obvious that this will not end the debates and questions about governance and corruption in the country.
It is important to emphasize that this article does not aim to take sides or judge the protagonists of this affair, but rather to present the facts as they were reported by various media. This allows readers to form their own opinion on the situation.