Three football coaches have been charged in Gabon with “Rape of a minor”, “Sexual assault” and “Endangering the life of others”, a fortnight after revelations in the press of cases of child crime in Gabonese sport, the public prosecutor of Libreville announced on Thursday, December 30.
“The investigation is continuing and other arrests are underway”André Patrick Roponat added in a press statement, citing the arrest two days ago of a taekwondo trainer, Martin Avera, and confirming that the investigations concerned ” all the sports “.
The former coach of the National Under-17 team, accused of alleged sexual assault on hundreds of children, Patrick Assoumou Eyi, as well as two club coaches, Orphée Mickala and Triphel Mabicka, “Were referred to the public prosecutor’s office”.
“Very serious and unacceptable”
The floor “Opened information before they were indicted by the investigating judge” and “Remanded in custody, in other words under a committal warrant”, said the prosecutor. They risk thirty years of criminal imprisonment, in particular for “Rape and attempted rape of a minor”.
The case was revealed by the British daily The Guardian December 16. The head of state Ali Bongo Ondimba had raised a case “Very serious and unacceptable” and had given for instruction “To seize the Minister of Justice for the opening of a judicial investigation in the community of national football for sexual abuses having been committed against children, boys and girls”, but also “To extend the survey to all national sports federations” for “Eradicate potential sexual predators”.
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