Former Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by an appeals court in Nouakchott, following a dramatic escalation in his corruption case. The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, follows appeals from both the prosecution and defence after Aziz was initially handed a five-year sentence in December 2023.
Aziz, who seized power in a 2008 coup before winning elections in 2009 and 2014, led Mauritania for over a decade and was once seen as a key regional partner to Western nations in the fight against Islamist militancy in the Sahel. His post-presidency years, however, have been mired in legal troubles stemming from a wide-ranging corruption probe.
The appeals court found him guilty of illicit enrichment, abuse of power, and money laundering—charges he has consistently denied. Prosecutors successfully argued for a harsher sentence, while Aziz’s lawyers contended that only a high court of justice had the legal standing to try a former head of state.
“This verdict is the result of political pressure by the executive on the judiciary,” said defence attorney Mohameden Ichidou, who confirmed plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Brahim Ebety, representing the Mauritanian state, welcomed the ruling, saying: “The evidence clearly proves that the former president, who ruled with near-absolute authority, engaged in illicit enrichment, abused his power, and laundered money.”
Aziz voluntarily stepped down in 2019, allowing for a peaceful transition of power to his successor, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani—a former ally who later backed parliamentary efforts to bring Aziz to justice.
The ruling marks a milestone in Mauritania’s political evolution and represents one of the region’s rare instances of a former head of state being held legally accountable for corruption while in office.
