Attorneys for Alain Claude Bilie By Nze assert that their client has been incarcerated for more than three months in connection with a long-standing private dispute. In a recent statement, they argue that this disagreement, involving approximately 7,600 euros and dating back to 2008, has been unfairly invoked to justify his arrest. According to the Ensemble pour le Gabon party, the former head of government faces accusations of fraud and breach of trust. Alain Claude Bilie By Nze previously served as Prime Minister before General Brice Oligui Nguema assumed power following the August 2023 coup d’état. He subsequently contested the presidential election, which General Nguema won, but was unable to overturn the outcome.

Allegations of poor detention conditions and procedural flaws

The opposition leader’s counsel reports that he is being held in a five-square-meter cell, reportedly lacking natural light, within a correctional facility in Libreville. They also highlight a period of 100 days in isolation, which they label as both “political and arbitrary.” Furthermore, the defense team maintains that they have never been granted access to the case file. They claim the investigating judge indicated no longer possessing the relevant documents. A petition filed by the lawyers seeking to annul the proceedings was rejected by the Libreville Court of Appeal on June 2. “A man is detained based on a file his defense has never been authorized to see,” stated lawyer Arthur Vercken in the communiqué issued by the defense team. The August 2023 coup d’état brought an end to over five decades of rule by the Bongo family. Brice Oligui Nguema was subsequently elected president in a vote that the new authorities presented as a step towards restoring civilian governance. The incarceration of Alain Claude Bilie By Nze unfolds within a political climate marked by significant institutional restructuring following this transitional period in Gabon’s current affairs.