Sylvia Bongo, wife of ousted Gabon president Ali Bongo, has been detained on suspicion of embezzlement of public funds, her lawyer announced.
She has been under her house arrest since the August 30th coup.
However, after a lengthy hearing by a judge, it was decided that she should be held in prison.
Her lawyer Francois Zimeray criticized the decision as arbitrary and illegal.
Mr. Bongo is charged with money laundering, forgery and forgery. She has not publicly commented on the allegations.
The SUMMIT POST reported that she is scheduled to appear in court within 10 days for another hearing where her lawyer could request her release.
Gabon’s former Cabinet Secretary Brice LaClouche Arihanga, who was imprisoned four years ago on charges of embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds and money laundering, gave evidence at Bongo’s hearing.
Her suspicions against her are closely related to her former ministers.
In 2019, the former first lady was said to be behind a major anti-corruption campaign called Operation Scorpion. Several Gabonese officials, including Alihanga, were arrested and detained in the campaign, which some Gabonians described as a witch hunt.
Noureddine Bongo, the son of the ousted president, was also arrested after the coup and is being held on corruption charges and is awaiting trial on corruption charges.
The ousted president, 64, has led the oil-rich country since 2009, when he succeeded his father, who had been in power for more than 40 years. His family had strong ties to France, Gabon’s former colonial power.
The August coup led by General Brice Origi Ngeuma was celebrated domestically but condemned not only by France but also by regional and continental institutions.
The announcement came shortly after Mr Bongo announced he had won the contested election.
A week after the military seized power, the ousted president was released from house arrest and allowed to leave the country, but he remains in the capital, Libreville.
General Nguema has promised to hold free and fair elections leading to the establishment of a new civilian government, but no date has been announced.