The French lawyers representing Ali Bongo's family are launching an offensive on the academic front. In a letter sent to AFP on Monday, February 23, 2026, they accuse the Attorney General of Libreville, Eddy Minang , of having "dishonored" his doctorate in law, which he obtained in France from Panthéon-Assas University in 2023.

A "travesty of justice" denounced

At the heart of the defense's anger is the 20-year prison sentence handed down last November to Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo (wife and son of the former president). This verdict, delivered after only a few hours of hearings for massive embezzlement of public funds, is described by the family's lawyers as:

1. An unfair trial , "worthy of the worst caricatures."
2. Absurd sentences handed down in the absence of the accused and their lawyers.

The councils have officially contacted the French Minister of Higher Education and the French Office for Scientific Integrity to denounce the behavior of the magistrate, whom they consider to be the "authorizer" of this procedure.

Accusations of torture and political context

Beyond the legal proceedings, the lawyers accuse the prosecutor of covering up acts of torture and barbarity . Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo, who hold French nationality, claim to have suffered serious abuse (electrocutions, drownings, floggings) during their 20 months of detention in Gabon following the August 2023 coup.

Although President Brice Oligui Nguema has always denied these allegations, promising a "fair trial", the two accused left the country after their provisional release and did not attend their trial.

The staggering figures in the case

The accusation relates to astronomical sums embezzled during Ali Bongo's 14-year presidency:

1. 4,917 billion CFA francs (approximately 7.5 billion euros).
2. Funds that were allegedly "recycled and reinvested" abroad.

This legal battle marks a new chapter in the fall of the Bongo dynasty, which ruled Gabon for 55 years before being overthrown by the military.