Gabon opposition leader’s lawyers say his jailing is politically motivated

Gabon’s leading opposition figure, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, has now spent 100 days in what his lawyers describe as “political and arbitrary” solitary confinement, according to a statement from his legal team.

The former prime minister was arrested on April 15 over a private dispute involving roughly 7,600 euros dating back to 2008, his lawyers said, while his party maintains he stands accused of fraud.

His Together For Gabon (EPG) party has called the case “a serious political manoeuvre” aimed at “silencing a major critical voice,” linking the charges to an alleged unpaid debt tied to his role organising a 2008 cultural festival.

Bilie-By-Nze’s continued detention was upheld last month when the Libreville Court of Appeal rejected his bid to have the legal proceedings against him nullified, a ruling his defence team has strongly condemned.

Defence attorney Arthur Vercken argued that keeping him behind bars amounts to a serious breach of Gabonese law, fair-trial guarantees, and the country’s international obligations.

His lawyers contend the allegations are legally time-barred and should no longer be subject to prosecution. Supporters view the case as an effort to muzzle a prominent government critic, while authorities insist the matter rests solely with the courts.

The arrest followed a string of public criticisms Bilie-By-Nze had levelled at the government, including his opposition to the suspension of social media platforms and objections to reforms of Gabon’s nationality code that were adopted without parliamentary debate.

With legal options narrowing, his lawyers have now turned to France for help, urging Paris to press Gabon’s head of state on the matter, as President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema undertook a state visit to France, where his legal team said the charges against him are politically motivated and called on France to ensure his rights are upheld.