By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Mauritania’s Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the conviction of former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in connection with abuse of office and corrupt acquisition of wealth, confirming his 15-year prison sentence.
Aziz, who came to power in a 2008 coup, was originally sentenced to five-year jail term in December 2023 after being found to have accumulated $70 million worth of assets and capital during his presidency through fraudulent means.
However, after challenging that ruling for the first time, an appeal court extended his time in jail by 10 years in May 2025, a ruling which the Supreme Court upheld on Tuesday.
“The (Supreme) Court delivered its decision today, November 4, 2025, confirming the conviction of Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz,” a judicial document says.
The ruling makes Aziz, 69, one of the rare former heads of state convicted for illicit enrichment while in office.
Most ex-leaders tried in the national or international courts are prosecuted for war crimes.
It also seals his fall from grace under his successor and former ally, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, who was at Aziz’s camp during the coup.
Aziz has been in custody since his original trial began in 2023, while the authorities have confiscated the former leader’s assets and stripped him of his civic rights.
He led the country linking the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa until 2019, bringing stability to the nation once prone to coups and jihadist activities.
