French judge okays corruption investigation of African leaders

French judge okays corruption investigation of African leaders Paris - A French magistrate Wednesday accepted a legal complaint charging three African heads of state with corruption.

The decision opens the way for an investigation into the charges against President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville, Gabonese President Omar Bongo and the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo, the French chapter of Transparency International (TI) said in a statement.

TI accuses the three presidents of having used public funds to purchase real estate in France, among other alleged abuses.

According to TI, this marks the first time such a complaint filed by non-governmental association has been accepted.

However, the Paris public prosecutor's office, which has already come out against legal proceedings in the case, could still file an appeal against the decision.

This is not Bongo's first run-in with the French legal system. In February, an appeals court in the city of Bordeaux froze 4.2 million euros (5.37 million dollars) in two of Bongo's French bank accounts.

The court wants to force Bongo to pay 1.131 million euros to a French businessman whose son had to pay the Gabonese president 457,347 euros to free his father from a jail in the Gabonese capital Libreville. Bongo allegedly had him arrested after a business disagreement. (dpa)