The ex-Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has been accused of corruption since he left office in 2019 and was indicted without a warrant last March. He has always denied the charges against him accusing the government of carrying out a “settlement of scores”.

Former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was placed in detention yesterday June 22 at around 8 pm. According to his lawyers, who reported the information, the arrest was instructed by a judge of the anti-corruption division of the public prosecutor's office in West Nouakchott.

Mohamed Ould is accused of wrongdoings and misappropriation of public funds during his term. When his successor Mohamed Ould Ghazouani took office in 2019, the 64-year-old man fell into disgrace and was indicted in March without any warrant of committal being issued against him. His arrest confirms the poor state of his relations with the government, which he accuses of carrying out a real "settlement of scores" against him.

As a reminder, the current procedure was launched following the publication of a parliamentary inquiry report on the management of the country under Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, which had prompted the National Assembly to refer the matter to the courts. The list of charges brought against him by the prosecutor's office includes corruption, money laundering, illicit enrichment, squandering public property, granting undue advantages, and obstructing the course of justice.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou