The truth emerges at the trial of former Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. Accused of abuse of power and illicit enrichment, Aziz strongly denied all allegations made against him during his testimony in court.
For hours, the former leader in power from 2008 to 2019 spoke to defend himself against the accusations. With calls for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, Aziz called the charges false and unfair, saying they were part of a conspiracy against him.
“I am accused of corruption, where is my corrupter? Where is the proof of this corruption?” he declared in a calm but determined voice in Arabic, rarely interrupting except to get help in translating some ideas in French.
Aziz stressed that he was directly targeted, noting that his predecessors had not been held accountable. Indeed, this constitutes a rare case where a high-level manager is prosecuted for personal enrichment during his mandate.
Since January 25, Aziz has appeared in court alongside ten other figures, including two former prime ministers, former ministers and businessmen, accused of various charges such as “illicit enrichment”, “abuse of functions”, “influence peddling” or even “money laundering”.
In detention since January 24, after spending several months in police custody in 2021, Aziz, son of a trader, is suspected of having acquired goods worth around 67 million euros at the time of his arrest in March 2021.
In addition to a long prison sentence, the prosecutor also requested the confiscation of his property.
The defendants all have the opportunity to speak before the court to defend themselves before the sentence is pronounced.
The court will retire to deliberate before rendering its verdict in the coming days.
This article provides a detailed account of the trial of former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, highlighting his defense statements and the accusations against him. He also highlights the importance of this case, given that it is a rare case of prosecution of a leader for corruption and illicit enrichment.