An ally of former first family in Gabon has been arrested with stash of cash in a trunk at his private residence located in the capital, Libreville.

The arrest is believed to be part of anti-corruption operations being carried out by the Brice Oligui Nguema-led junta that took power from Ali Bongo Ondimba on August 30, 2023.

According to some reports, as much as 70 billion CFA francs (around US$155 million) was found at the home of Maitre Park, aka Le Coréen (i.e. The Korean).

"Park is close to Ali Bongo and has served as his right-hand man and spiritual father," some reports suggested.

Hours after the August 30 coup was announced, a controversial video was of a massive cash discovery allegedly in the home of a detained politician went viral.

It has now been confirmed that the monies were retrieved from the home of an aide to Noureddin Valentin Bongo, 31-year-old son of ousted president Ali Bongo.

The aide in question is Ian Ngoulou, who admitted the offence of hoarding huge sums of monies in a report aired by Gabon24, the state broadcaster.

The two, under arrest hours after the coup was announced, were captured in a report by the station standing by the displayed cash stash outside Ngoulou's residence in the capital.



Asked how he came by that volume of cash, he said it was for business but added that he did not know the total amount of the money.

Watch Gabon24 report on how Park, Noureddin and Ngoulou were questioned:



Deposed Ali Bongo appeals for "noise" from friends

The other video was a 53-second video of the ousted president, Ali Bongo, confirming the coup whiles calling for allies across the world to make "noise."

It generated considerable reaction from people who slammed him for being desperate about power and holding on despite failing health.

Almost all media channels across the world have use it in full or in part for their reports on the situation in Gabon.

Other videos that gained popularity were the formal announcement of the coup plus the announcement of Brice Oligui Nguema as head of the transition.

SARA

Click here to start the nomination process for the 2023 GhanaWeb Excellence Awards

Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.

Watch Mintah Akandoh's call for legislation on organ transplantation on The Lowdown:





Watch the launch of the 2023 GhanaWeb Excellence Awards on GhanaWeb TV below:





Share your news stories and ideas with GhanaWeb


To advertise with GhanaWeb