Gabon: General Nguema Faces Allegations of Embezzlement and Drug Connections

General Brice Clothaire Oligui Nguema, the commander of the Gabonese Republican Guard who overthrew democratically elected President Ali Bongo, has been implicated in theft and drug trafficking.

Following the overthrow of Mohamed Bazoum, the president of Niger, the military junta in Gabon announced on Wednesday morning that it would take over from Bongo.

Gistlover reported that today’s cancellation of the recently held general elections in Gabon, which gave rise to President Bongo, was carried on the nation’s national television by a number of military officials.

They claimed there were irregularities with the election, which is why they needed to take control “in the interest of the Gabonese people.”.

General Oligui Nguema, one of the most powerful figures in the Gabonese army, is reportedly the owner of several properties in the United States worth more than $1 million, according to a 2020 Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) survey. This information first surfaced after the successful coup.

The New Tribune, a French media outlet, reports that General Nguema paid $447,000 cash for a home in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 2018.

According to the article, General Nguema is well-known for being a multibillionaire, engaging in embezzlement, and having connections to the drug trade run by South American-Ivorian cartels.

Finding out more about the Coup leader’s background, the publication reported that Nguema spent ten years as a military attaché at the Gabon Embassy in Morocco and Senegal before assuming his current role.

In addition, the source conjectured that Nguema had been living in exile during this time.

Additionally, he took over as Republican Guard commander a year after Ali Bongo suffered a stroke in October 2018.

Prior to his recent involvement in the overthrow of President Bongo, whose family had held the position of power for many years, Nguema was reportedly involved in contentious cases.