Chadian blogger Makaïla Nguebla was summoned by French justice on Tuesday 27 October. He is accused of defaming Abbas Mahamat Tolli, nephew of the head of state, former finance minister and current governor of BEAC (Bank of Central African States).
Exile in France since 2013, the host of the blog makaila.fr is very critical of Idriss Déby’s regime, which has previously given him deportations from Tunisia and Senegal.
Reason for this defamation: a blog post from 2017 in which he assured that Abbas Tolli had used his function to bring two of his cousins into the management of the Chadian banks.
The prosecutor followed the defense’s argument and dismissed the invalidity of the procedure. What pleases Makaïla Nguebla.
The prosecutor considered that Mr Abbas Tolli did not respect a certain number of criteria which had to be met, as well as the incompetence of the French court to adjudicate this case. It is a great relief to me for the Chadian community in Franc (…). This complaint is political as it is the culmination of a ten-year persecution against me (…).
Makaïla Nguebla
The debate on the validity of the complaint was set for 26 January. Abbas Mahamat Tolli’s lawyer hopes the court will reject the invalidity, given that the defamation was marked by “empty accusations without basis, brought against an international official who instructed a serious institution”. Me Paul-Albert Iweins adds that his client is only asking for a symbolic euro and that it is Makaïla Nguebla who is playing politics while playing the “persecuted”.
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