This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba's health has been a subject of speculation since he fell ill in Saudi Arabia last October.
On August 26, the Court of Appeal in Libreville will hear a petition filed by 10 members of Gabon's political opposition, civil society, and trade union movement, requesting Bongo undergo medical tests to prove his fitness to govern.
The case was initially dismissed by a lower court in May, citing that only the two houses of parliament or the Constitutional Court acting at the behest of the government could determine whether the president was unfit.
However, the Court of Appeal has decided to hear an appeal by the plaintiffs, setting a date for the case to be heard.
President Bongo, 60, succeeded his father Omar Bongo, who became head of state in 1967 and died in June 2009, leaving a legacy of corruption allegations.
Anges Kevin Nzigou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, described Monday's decision as 'the start of something,' saying the judicial system had resisted pressure to dismiss the petition.
On the other hand, Bongo's attorney, Tony Serge Ndong, angrily stated that the case 'breaks every rule' and that the president 'cannot be prosecuted.'
