Mauritania's Supreme Court has ruled, rejecting the final appeal of former head of state Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz , and confirming his sentence of fifteen years imprisonment for abuse of power and illicit enrichment.

Final confirmation of the appeal sentence

According to a court document seen by AFP, the country's highest court issued its ruling on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. This decision upholds the fifteen-year sentence handed down on appeal in May 2025 for "illicit enrichment" and "influence peddling."

The former president, who was initially sentenced to five years in prison in the first instance in December 2023, saw his sentence increased on appeal. The Supreme Court's confirmation marks the end of his legal proceedings in this case.

A rare case of conviction

Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz, 69, led Mauritania from 2008 to 2019. His conviction places him among the few former heads of state to be tried and convicted by their national courts primarily for economic crimes related to the exercise of power. The majority of other prosecutions against former leaders generally concern violent crimes.

Imprisoned since January 2023 (following a previous period of detention in 2021), the former Mauritanian president is being held in an apartment in Nouakchott. This definitive confirmation extends his downward spiral under the presidency of his successor, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani . Ironically, the latter was once one of his most loyal companions, a partner in the 2008 coup, and served as his chief of staff and Minister of Defense.