This Video Does Not Show Gabon's Finance Minister Fleeing With Bags Of Money
The Claim
A video shows Gabon's finance minister fleeing with bags of money.
News posted on
Emerging story
Upon the latest news of the coup in Gabon and the corruption of the latest politicians, a video has emerged by social media users claiming that the Police stopped the finance minister of Gabon while trying to flee with three suitcases filled with cash.
A lot of people claimed that the person in the video is the finance minister while some claimed that he is the former senate president of Gabon. Also, some claimed that those who arrested him were the police and others claimed that they were citizens.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulated claim and found it to be misleading.
A thorough reverse image search revealed the video to be outdated and unrelated to the minister of finance in Gabon or the former senate president.
The former senate president is in fact a woman, Lucie Milebou Aubusson, and the person caught in the viral video is a man.
The Arrested Man Is The President Of The National Assembly, Not The Finance Minister
The video predates 2022. It features Nzouba Ndama, the president of the national assembly.
TV5Monde published the same video on September 18, 2022, confirming that the video is of the president of the national assembly.
The title of the article reads, “Gabon: the opponent guy Nzouba Ndama arrested with more than a billion CFA francs in his suitcases.”
Nzouba Ndama was arrested a year ago while returning from the Republic of Congo carrying three suitcases stuffed with approximately two million euros.
How Did The Coup In Gabon Happen?
Since Ali Bongo, the former president of Bagon, started ruling Gabon, he was constantly accused of fraud, cheating, and corruption. Hence, as Gabon’s election authority announced that Bogo had won the presidential elections again on August 30, men in army uniforms appeared on national television announcing that the elections were voided.
The Gabon coup leaders commanded that all borders should be shut and several government bodies should be dissolved. Bongo was held captive in his house while his son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, was arrested for treason.
Why Did The Coup in Gabon Happen?
Gabon is an oil-rich country, however, it has faced acute poverty since a long time ago. Corruption, unemployment, poverty, and mismanagement are justifications for the coup. According to the World Bank, 40 percent of young people, aged between 15 to 24 are out of work.
Maja Bovcon, a senior Africa analyst at consultancy firm Verisk Maplecroft, said, “Even though Gabon has one of the highest GDPs (gross domestic product) per capita in Africa, unemployment levels are still high.”
The Bongo family had been the ruling family for more than six decades. A lot of people see that “60 years is too much,” since the political system has been tailored to serve the interests of the Bongo family only.
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