In Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, a court handed a five-year prison sentence to former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz for using his position to accumulate wealth improperly.

Aziz, who governed the nation from 2008 to 2019, fell out of favor under his successor, President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.

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The trial, ongoing since January, involved Aziz and ten other prominent figures, including two former prime ministers, accused of illicit enrichment, abuse of functions, influence-peddling, and money laundering.

Aziz was convicted on charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering but acquitted of other accusations. The court also ordered the confiscation of Aziz’s unlawfully acquired assets.

The former head of state, aged 66, has been in detention since January 24 and previously spent several months in prison in 2021.

While Aziz did not react to the judgment, one of his lawyers described the trial as political, and an appeal against the verdict is planned.

The court cleared two former prime ministers and two former ministers of the charges. A state lawyer considered the verdict lenient.

Prosecutions of former heads of state, especially for corruption, are uncommon globally, and Mauritania’s ranking in the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International was 130th out of 180.

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