Alain Claude Bilie By Nze’s legal representatives maintain that their client has been held for over three months due to a long-standing private dispute. In a formal statement, they argue that this disagreement, involving approximately 7,600 euros and originating in 2008, has been improperly used to justify his arrest. According to his political party, Ensemble pour le Gabon, the former head of government faces charges of fraud and breach of trust. Alain Claude Bilie By Nze had served as Prime Minister prior to General Brice Oligui Nguema’s takeover during the August 2023 coup d’état. He subsequently contested the presidential election, which General Oligui Nguema won, but failed to overturn the results.

Concerns raised over detention conditions and legal process

The opposition leader’s counsel reports that he is confined to 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 both “political and arbitrary.” Furthermore, the defense claims they have never been granted access to the case file. Reportedly, the investigating judge stated that the relevant documents were no longer in their possession. An appeal for the annulment of the proceedings, filed by the lawyers, was rejected by the Libreville Court of Appeal on June 2. “A man is being held based on a file his defense has never been permitted to examine,” declared lawyer Arthur Vercken in a communiqué issued by the defense team. The August 2023 coup brought an end to over five decades of power held by the Bongo family. Brice Oligui Nguema was subsequently elected president in a vote presented by the new authorities as a step towards restoring civilian rule. Alain Claude Bilie By Nze’s incarceration unfolds within a political environment characterized by significant institutional reorganization following this transition.