The political climate is tense in Libreville. The Ensemble pour le Gabon party strongly criticized the detention conditions of its leader, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze , on Wednesday, April 22. The former Prime Minister under Ali Bongo, arrested on April 15, is reportedly now deprived of all contact with the outside world.

A hampered defense

According to the party's secretary general, Aimé Mapangou, the opposition leader is currently being held incommunicado. This situation prevents both his family and his lawyers from contacting him.

"These elements constitute a serious violation of the rights of the defense," the former minister insisted during a press conference.

The executive branch is absolving itself of responsibility

When questioned about this controversial pretrial detention, presidential spokesperson Téophane Nzame Nze Biyoghe opted for institutional neutrality. He stated that this case fell exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Gabonese judiciary and not the presidency, whose sole role is to ensure the "proper administration" of the judicial system.

A 2008 debt at the heart of the case

The arrest stems from a private financial dispute dating back 18 years:

1. The facts: A former political collaborator is demanding the reimbursement of 5 million FCFA .
2. The context: This sum was allegedly advanced in 2008 for the organization of the National Festival of Cultures, then chaired by Bilie-By-Nze.
3. The defense's argument: The party emphasizes that this expenditure committed the Gabonese state and not the individual person of the former minister.

Towards a political trial?

For Bilie-By-Nze's supporters, the timing of this affair leaves no doubt as to its true nature. By reactivating a nearly two-decade-old complaint against one of the main opponents of the current regime, the government is accused of conducting a "political operation" aimed at silencing a candidate in the last presidential election.

Ensemble pour le Gabon now demands the immediate release of its president, believing that no legal emergency justifies his continued detention.