Crepin Mboli-Goumba, a prominent figure within the Central African Republic’s opposition circles, found himself entangled in a legal battle resulting in a one-year suspended prison sentence for charges of defamation and contempt of court.
Mboli-Goumba, known both as a lawyer and as the coordinator of the opposition group BRDC, faced arrest following allegations of corruption leveled against magistrates earlier in the month.
The court imposed a hefty fine of approximately $130,000 (£105,000) on Mboli-Goumba, a penalty sought by prosecutors who had pushed for a direct one-year incarceration. In response, his legal team declared their intent to challenge the verdict through the appeals process.
The case underscores broader concerns about civil liberties and governmental overreach in the Central African Republic.
Human Rights Watch has raised alarms regarding what it perceives as President Faustin Archange Touadera’s administration’s systematic repression of civil society, media freedom, and political opposition factions.
