Former President of Mauritania accuses the Parliament and Government of a plot against him

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, former president of Mauritania, accused the parliament and the executive of the Maghreb country of making a plot against him, as he denounced at a press conference held at his home in Nouakchott.

The former strongman of Mauritania is being prosecuted on the basis of a report drawn up by a parliamentary committee and sent to the public prosecutor's office, which includes an investigation into alleged embezzlement and illicit enrichment during his term of office (2008-2019).

Abdel Aziz has managed to speak to the press following a first attempt on 17 August which was aborted by the police, who then arrested him, and after spending a week in prison he was released.

The former president denounced the increase in MPs' salaries to 25,000 uguiyas (some 545 euros) a month, and considered that these increases serve to manipulate MPs against him.

He also said that the members of the parliamentary committee - which he described as "illegal" - are far from impartial because each one "has accounts to settle with the State", referring to the pressures they suffered during their mandate.

Abdel Aziz wondered why this investigation did not cover the last two years, adding that the aim of the report is not the national interest but to attack him personally.

"I have never stolen from public money," he said, adding that he had not spent his salary of 700,000 uguiyas (15,000 euros) a month over the past 11 years, which enabled him to accumulate a "considerable and legitimate" fortune.

The parliamentary enquiry also affected other former public officials during Abdel Aziz's term in office, as well as businessmen close to him and members of his family.

The report covered twelve files such as the new terminal, the hydrocarbon containers in the Port of Nouakchott, the commercial agreements concluded with a Chinese company, energy investments, infrastructure tenders, the concession of public land as well as the concession of an island to an Emir of Qatar.

According to the report, "most of those responsible for the irregularities uncovered stated that they had received orders from Abdel Aziz".

At his press conference, the former Mauritanian president denied any attempt at a coup d'état during the celebration of the country's independence anniversary on 28 November, an event he refused to attend.