Mauritania’s Supreme Court upholds former president’s 15-year prison term

Mauritania’s Supreme Court has upheld the 15-year prison sentence handed to former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, confirming his conviction for illicit enrichment and influence peddling.

The ruling, delivered on 4 November 2025, marks the final stage of legal proceedings for the former Head of State, who had appealed a May 2025 judgement.

Abdel Aziz, aged 69, had previously received a five-year prison term in December 2023 before the sentence was increased on appeal. Accused of exploiting his presidential authority to amass personal wealth, he becomes one of the few former African leaders convicted for financial crimes rather than violent offences. With all avenues of appeal now exhausted, his detention is set to continue without further judicial recourse.

Abdel Aziz, who led Mauritania from 2008 to 2019 after a military takeover, has been in custody since January 2023, following an earlier period of detention in 2021. The decision cements his political downfall and underscores a decisive shift from his era of governance, during which the country regained a degree of stability following years of coups and militant threats.

His successor, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, who once served under him as chief of staff and defense minister, gradually distanced himself, reflecting the fracture that reshaped the nation’s leadership landscape. The verdict signals a defining moment in Mauritania’s governance narrative, where the arc of power meets the steady weight of judicial accountability.