Wife of Gabon's deposed president Ali Bongo jailed

The wife of Gabon's deposed president Ali Bongo Ondimba, under house arrest since a coup in the central African country in late August, has been jailed, her lawyer said on Thursday.

Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Valentin, suspected of allegedly embezzling public funds, was jailed late on Wednesday, her lawyer Francois Zimeray told AFP, condemning the "arbitrary... illegal procedure".

Bongo's wife was charged on September 28 with money laundering, forgery and falsification of records.

Sylvia Bongo has been under house arrest in the capital, Libreville, since the August 30 coup brought the curtain down on 55 years of Bongo dynasty rule.

The putschists allege the former head of state and his entourage falsified the election results.

They accuse Sylvia Bongo and her son, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, of manipulating the former president, who has not fully recovered from a serious stroke in 2018.

Read moreFrench lawyers file complaint against 'arbitrary' detention of Bongo's wife in Gabon

They say the two have effectively run the oil-rich country for the past five years and have misused public money.

"We condemned this illegal procedure," lawyer Zimeray said.

(AFP)