Police arrest Gabon senior official in corruption probe

French police arrested the chief of staff to Gabon's president Ali Bongo on Monday as part of an investigation into the corruption of a public official, a judicial source said.

The arrest prompted a sharp condemnation from Libreville, stoking tensions between the oil-rich Central African country and France, from which it won independence in 1960.

"(Maixent) Accrombessi has been arrested today in Paris and is currently in custody to be questioned in an investigation on alleged corruption of a foreign public official," the judicial source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

He did not give details of the probe.

Gabon's presidency issued a statement confirming that Accrombessi was in French police custody. It said he was in France on an official visit.

"This measure is all the more deplorable because it is linked to an affair that has nothing to do with (his) capacities as chief of staff and also because it was set up to humiliate (him) and his public function, thereby damaging the Republic of Gabon," the statement said.

Accrombessi, originally from Benin, is seen as one of the most influential and controversial politicians in the country.

Critics accuse him of using voodoo against opponents and in April they set fire to the Benin embassy to show their anger at the death of a senior opposition leader Andre Mba Obame.

Gabon's former President Omar Bongo enjoyed excellent relations with France under a system known as "la Francafrique" whereby Paris granted political and military support to long-ruling African presidents in exchange for commercial favours.

But they have cooled since his son Ali Bongo won a contested election in 2009, partly due to a French-led investigation into the origins of Bongo family assets.

French oil major Total is one of the biggest oil producers in Gabon which pumps around 230,000 barrels per day.