Alain Claude Bilie By Nze’s defense team asserts that their client’s incarceration, now exceeding three months, is connected to a long-standing private dispute. In an official statement, they claim that this disagreement, involving approximately 7,600 euros and dating back to 2008, has been leveraged to justify his apprehension. The ‘Ensemble pour le Gabon’ party indicates that the former head of government faces charges of fraud and breach of trust. Mr. Bilie By Nze served as Prime Minister prior to General Brice Oligui Nguema’s ascent to power following the August 2023 coup. He later contested the presidential election, which General Nguema won, though he was unsuccessful in overturning the outcome.

Concerns over detention conditions and procedural irregularities

The opposition leader’s legal advisors report that he is being held in a five-square-meter cell, lacking natural light, within a correctional facility in Libreville. They also highlight a 100-day period of solitary confinement, which they label as « political and arbitrary. » Furthermore, the defense claims they have been consistently denied access to the procedural file. According to their statements, the investigating judge reportedly indicated no longer possessing the relevant documents. A motion filed by the lawyers to annul the proceedings was dismissed by the Libreville Court of Appeal on June 2. « A man is being held based on a file that his defense has never been permitted to review, » stated lawyer Arthur Vercken in the press release issued by the defense team. The August 2023 coup d’état concluded over five decades of rule by the Bongo family. Subsequently, Brice Oligui Nguema was elected president in a ballot that the new authorities presented as a step towards restoring civilian governance. Alain Claude Bilie By Nze’s imprisonment unfolds amidst a political environment characterized by institutional restructuring following this significant transition.