Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who led Mauritania from 2009 to 2019, has lost his final appeal and will serve 15 years in prison. The Supreme Court of Mauritania upheld his conviction for illicit enrichment and money laundering, following a years-long legal process that saw a lower court dismiss the more politically charged charges of abuse of power and influence peddling. Abdel Aziz, who took office after a military coup in 2008 and later won two presidential elections, was initially handed a five-year prison sentence in 2023, but the penalty was increased to 15 years after a successful state appeal in 2025.

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