Gabon: release of Brice Laccruche Alihanga, ex-DC of Ali Bongo

The former chief of staff of ex-president Ali Bongo Ondimba, Brice Laccruche Alihanga, is now free to move around. He was released on the evening of Friday October 20, 2023.

A few days after his confrontation with former first lady Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, Brice Laccruche Alihanga is now out of prison. He was arrested in 2019 during an anti-corruption arrest operation directed against senior state officials. Close associates of his were first arrested before he himself was caught by the police.

A man and senior dignitary of Ali Bongo Ondimba’s regime, Brice Laccruche Alihanga had the support of the former first lady. He had just begun a meteoric rise on the political level before being stopped by cases of embezzlement of public funds which will ultimately lead him to the central prison of Libreville.

At the time, Brice Laccruche Alihanga was Chief of Staff, but he was also Minister responsible for Monitoring the Human Investment Strategy and Sustainable Development Goals, a ministry described as “without real power” by some political observers.

Brice Laccruche Alihanga sentenced to 5 years in prison

Brice Laccruche Alihanga, accused of embezzlement of public funds, was indicted on additional charges while already in detention. On October 29, he was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for obtaining an administrative document based on a false declaration.

Concerning the accusations of embezzlement of public funds, investigations were ongoing until the fall of the regime of Ali Bongo Ondimba after the coup d’état of August 30, 2023. The case resurfaced with a confrontation in court between Brice Laccruche Alihanga and Sylvia Bongo Ondimba. It was after this episode that the decision to release him on parole was made. In the meantime, the judicial system has decided to detain the former first lady.