Nazih Case: Arrest in Lebanon of the influencer accused of blackmailing the Gabonese president
The activist and influencer Nazih Marwan Al-Azzi, better known as “Nazih” on social media, has been arrested in Lebanon by the country’s General Security Directorate.
SUMMARY
25 years old, this young Gabonese man of Lebanese origin is at the heart of an explosive case that is currently rocking Gabon. According to Gabonese security sources quoted by RFI, his arrest was carried out at the request of the authorities in Libreville. It comes after the release of an audio recording in which Nazih claims to have had a direct conversation with the Transition President, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. This recording would just be the first of a series of 46 audios and 14 videos that the young man claims to have.
Nazih was demanding the sum of six billion CFA francs to refrain from releasing these contents, which he describes as “highly compromising”. An attempted blackmail that immediately provoked a wave of indignation in Gabon, both among the public and the authorities.
The situation quickly took a diplomatic turn. In the absence of a formal legal aid agreement between Gabon and Lebanon, the two countries are said to have found common ground for joint action, according to insiders close to the case.
Nazih had already been briefly arrested by Gabonese special services before leaving the territory for Lebanon. From Beirut, he continued his tirades against the Gabonese head of state, even threatening new revelations online. It’s this escalation that led to his arrest this weekend in the Lebanese capital.
A Lebanese community that disassociates itself
In a statement released this Sunday, the Lebanese community in Gabon wished to distance itself from Nazih, describing his actions as “regrettable and harmful to relations between the two peoples”.
For its part, the Gabonese government remains discreet for the time being about the possibility of an extradition. However, if it were to be carried out, Nazih could be prosecuted for organized corruption, blackmail, and public insult, charges that could carry heavy penalties.
In Libreville as in Beirut, it’s time for vigilance. Because this case, halfway between political scandal and the affair of digital mores, is far from having revealed all its secrets.
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