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Alert

Several copies of "Le Nouveau Réveil" newspaper destroyed following article linking high-ranking officials to corruption

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 4 March 2009, several copies of the weekly "Le Nouveau Réveil" newspaper were seized from the newsstands and destroyed by two unidentified persons in Cocody and Yopougon, two suburbs of Abidjan, capital of Côte d'Ivoire.

MFWA's correspondent reported that the publishers of "Le Nouveau Réveil" have since lodged a formal complaint to the Ivorian authorities.

Although the assailants did not specify reasons for their actions, the correspondent said the incident followed a report published in the 28 February edition of the newspaper. The article linked certain top officials, including the director-general of Côte d'Ivoire's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATCI), Kla Sylvanus, the wife of President Gbagbo, Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, and her daughter to acts of corruption.

Kla Sylvanus has since denied the allegations by "Le Nouveil Réveil".