Gabonese authorities arrest civil society activists
Transparency-International (France) and Sherpa are gravely concerned about the arrest in Libreville, Gabon, of Gregory Ngbwa Mintsa, a civil plaintiff in a case filed in France denouncing the alleged embezzlement of public funds in Gabon.
On 2 December 2008, Gregory Ngbwa Mintsa and Transparency International (France) lodged a complaint calling for an investigation into how a large volume of assets such as real estate and automobiles, have been acquired in France by three foreign heads of state and their family members, including the President of Gabon, Omar Bongo Ondimba.
Gregory Ngbwa Mintsa was arrested at his home early on the morning of 31 December, 2008. To date, he has not had access to his attorney or his family. The official reason for his detention remains unclear.
Ngbwa Mintsa has faced intimidation in the past due to the civil complaint. His arrest coincides with the detention of two other civil society leaders: Marc Ona, coordinator of the “Publish What You Pay” coalition in Gabon, which calls for more transparent management of Gabon’s oil weath, and Georges Mpaga, President of the Gabonese civil society network for good governance (ROLBG). All those arrested are involved in fighting corruption in Gabon.
See full Press Release.
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