Attorneys representing Alain Claude Bilie By Nze have declared that their client has been held for more than three months in connection with an old private dispute. In a public statement, they maintained that this disagreement, involving approximately 7,600 euros and originating in 2008, has been weaponized to justify his arrest. According to his political party, Ensemble pour le Gabon, the former head of government faces accusations of fraud and breach of trust. Mr. Bilie By Nze previously served as Prime Minister before General Brice Oligui Nguema assumed power following the August 2023 coup d’état. He subsequently ran in the presidential election, which General Nguema won, but was unable to overturn the results.

Concerns raised over detention conditions and legal process

The legal counsel for the opposition leader reports that he is being held in a five-square-meter cell, lacking natural light, within a Libreville correctional facility. They also highlight a 100-day period of solitary confinement, which they describe as “political and arbitrary.” Furthermore, the defense team asserts that they have never been granted access to the case file. They claim the investigating judge indicated that the relevant documents were no longer in his possession. A request filed by the lawyers to annul the proceedings was denied by the Libreville Court of Appeal on June 2. “A man is being detained based on a file that his defense has never been permitted to see,” stated lawyer Arthur Vercken in the communiqué issued by the defense team. The August 2023 coup ended over fifty years of rule by the Bongo family. Brice Oligui Nguema was subsequently elected president in a vote presented by the new authorities as a step towards a return to civilian governance. Alain Claude Bilie By Nze’s incarceration occurs amid a political climate marked by the reorganization of institutions following this transition.