Nazih case: arrest in Lebanon of the influencer accused of blackmail against the Gabonese President

Nazih Marwan al-Azzi Nazi activist, better known as “Nazih” on social networks, was arrested in Lebanon by the country’s general management.

The 25 -year -old, this young Gabonese of Lebanese origin is at the heart of an explosive affair that is currently shaking Gabon. According to Gabonese security sources cited by RFI, his arrest was carried out at the request of the Libreville authorities. She intervenes after the broadcast of an audio recording in which Nazih claims to have had a direct conversation with the president of the transition, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. This recording would only be the first in a series of 46 audios and 14 videos that the young man claims to hold.

Nazih demanded the sum of six billion CFA francs so as not to disseminate this content, which he describes as “highly compromising”. An attempted blackmail which immediately aroused a wave of indignation in Gabon, both within public opinion and the authorities.

The situation quickly took a diplomatic turn. In the absence of a formal mutual aid agreement between Gabon and Lebanon, the two countries would nevertheless have found common ground to act jointly, according to indiscretions close to the file.

Nazih had already been briefly arrested by the Gabonese special services before leaving the territory for Lebanon. From Beirut, he continued his invective against the Gabonese Head of State, going so far as to threaten new online revelations. It is this escalation that would have led to its arrest this weekend in the Lebanese capital.

A Lebanese community that dissociates

In a statement published this Sunday, the Lebanese community of Gabon wanted to distance itself from Nazih, qualifying its actions as “regrettable and harmful to the relations between the two peoples”.

For its part, the Gabonese government remains discreet for the moment on the possibility of extradition. However, if it were to be carried out, Nazih could be prosecuted for corruption in an organized gang, blackmail, and public insults, charges that could be worth heavy penalties.

In Libreville as in Beirut, the time is for vigilance. Because this file, halfway between political scandal and digital manners, is far from having delivered all its secrets.