Mauritania's former president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on corruption charges following an appeal to a Nouakchott court by both the state and Aziz's defense against a sentence imposed in 2023.
Abdel Aziz led the West African country for a decade after coming to power in a 2008 coup, followed by an election a year later. He was an ally of Western powers fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel region.
Abdel Aziz, who has denied corruption allegations, was found guilty of economic crimes and abuse of power. He was initially handed a five-year prison sentence in December 2023 before the state appealed against the leniency of that punishment and Aziz's team appealed the ruling, saying only a high court of justice was qualified to try a former president.
"It is a decision that reflects the pressure the executive branch exerts on the judiciary," defense lawyer Mohameden Ichidou told Reuters, adding that the defense would appeal against the decision to the Supreme Court.
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