Mauritania’s former president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, has been sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering and “illicit enrichment”
Abdel Aziz led the country for a decade after coming to power in a 2008 coup and was an ally of Western powers fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel region. He had been on trial since January and denied corruption allegations.
The court found Abdel Aziz guilty of two of 10 charges late on Monday, following an inquiry into allegations of embezzlement of public property and corruption.
One of his lawyers called the ruling “a political verdict targeting a man and his family”.
Prosecutors however said the former head of state’s conviction was historic.
He has the option of appealing his sentence at the Supreme Court.
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Can’t happen in Nigeria