A former president of Mauritania has testified before the country’s Economic Crimes Police as part of a process to ensure accountability in government.
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was questioned on Monday after the Mauritanian judiciary took up the case following the findings of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on the management of public funds between 2008 and 2019 when he was in office.
During his term, MPs noted “irregularities” in the awarding of public contracts, particularly in the energy, infrastructure, fisheries and land sectors.
These include the Container and Hydrocarbon Terminal of the Port of Nouakchott known as Port de l’Amitié, the National Fund for Hydrocarbon Revenues (FNRH) and the transfer of an island that is part of Mauritanian territory to another country.
According to the local press, a car park belonging to Aziz has been sealed off while the bank accounts belonging to former officials close to the former head of state have been frozen as a precautionary measure.
ID/te/lb/as/APA