President seriously ill

Officials in Spain reported today that Gabon's President Omar Bongo is seriously ill and has been admitted to a private clinic in Barcelona. It is unclear from what illness Bongo is suffering, but his condition is listed as "stable but serious." Gabon's information ministry, however, has denied that the president is ill, stating that he has removed himself from the public eye in order to mourn his wife, who died from an unidentified illness in March 2009. Bongo officially suspended his presidential duties on 6 May and he has not been seen in public since then. The announcement regarding the suspension of his duties came only a few hours after a French court stated that it would pursue corruption charges against the African leader on allegations that he used state funds to purchase homes and vehicles in France. The 73-year-old president has been in power in Gabon since 1967, and his alleged illness has raised questions of succession