Mauritania’s state prosecutors are pushing for a 20-year prison sentence for former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who is currently serving a five-year term for corruption.

During an appeal hearing in Nouakchott, lead prosecutor Sidi Mohamed Ould Di Ould Moulay argued that Abdel Aziz had turned the presidency into a tool for extorting investors.

If granted, the extended sentence would significantly increase his time behind bars, reinforcing the government’s tough stance on corruption.