Mohamed Salem Ould Béchir
{{Short description|Mauritanian politician}}
{{hatnote|In this Mauritanian name, Ould Béchir is a patronymic surname.}}
{{update|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Mohamed Salem Ould Béchir
| native_name = {{nobold|محمد سالم ولد البشير}}
| office = 14th Prime Minister of Mauritania
| term_start = 30 October 2018
| term_end = 5 August 2019
| president = Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
| predecessor = Yahya Ould Hademine
| successor = Ismail Ould Bedde Ould Cheikh Sidiya
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|12|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = Ayoun el Atrous, Mauritania
| party = Union for the Republic (UPR)
| residence = Nouakchott
| native_name_lang = mey
}}
Mohamed Salem Ould Béchir ({{langx|mey|محمد سالم ولد البشير}}) is a Mauritanian politician who served as Prime Minister of Mauritania from 2018 to 2019, following the resignation of his predecessor, Yahya Ould Hademine, and his government, in late October 2018.{{cite web|url=http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20181029-mauritanie-mohamed-salem-ould-bechir-nomme-premier-ministre|title=Mauritanie: Mohamed Salem Ould Bechir nommé Premier ministre - RFI|date=29 October 2018 |publisher=}}{{cite web|url=https://www.koaci.com/m/mauritanie-nouveau-premier-ministre-nomme-tete-gouvernement-124656-i.html|title=Mauritanie : Mohamed Salem Ould Béchir nommé premier ministre par Abdel Aziz|website=KOACI}}
Biography
He studied robotics engineering in France. He began his career at the National Society of Water and Electricity of Mauritania (SOMELEC) in September 1986.
He was Secretary General of several ministries from May 2007 to September 2009, when he was appointed General Manager of the Mauritanian Electricity Company.He stepped down in September 2013 when he joined the government as Minister of Water and Sanitation.
In January 2015, he was appointed Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Mines, a position he held until 2016, when he was appointed Director of the National Society of Mining and Industry (SNIM).{{Cite web |date=2016-08-24 |title=MAURITANIA : Mohamed salem ould Bechir takes charge of the SNIM - 24/08/2016 - West Africa Newsletter |url=https://www.africaintelligence.com/west-africa/2016/08/24/mohamed-salem-ould-bechir-takes-charge-of-the-snim,108178348-bre |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=Africa Intelligence |language=en}}
In January 2023, Mohamed Salem Ould Béchir was serving as Mauritania's Minister of Foreign Affairs. On January 31, 2023, he welcomed Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to Nouakchott, marking his continued involvement in Mauritania’s diplomatic efforts.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-31 |title=FM Amir-Abdollahian arrives in Mauritanian capital |url=https://en.mehrnews.com/news/196896/FM-Amir-Abdollahian-arrives-in-Mauritanian-capital |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=Mehr News Agency |language=en}}
He was appointed prime minister after the resignation of Yahya Ould Hademine, several weeks after the triumph of the party in power, the party of the Union for the Republic (UPR), in the parliamentary elections of September 2018.
Legal proceedings
He is accused by the National Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of « bad governance and corruption », during his mandates at the head of the SNIM.{{Cite web |title=Corruption : jugement requis pour Aziz et ses co-accusés, à l'exception de Ould Ndjay et Hassena Ould Ely |url=https://mauriweb.info/node/11878 |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=Mauriweb |language=fr}}{{Cite news |date=2023-04-11 |title=Mauritanie : le procès de l'ancien président plonge au cœur des affaires de corruption |language=fr |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2023/04/11/mauritanie-le-proces-de-l-ancien-president-plonge-au-c-ur-des-affaires-de-corruption_6169115_3212.html |access-date=2023-10-14}}
In April 2021, Ould Béchir was implicated in a high-profile corruption case investigating financial misconduct during former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's administration. The trial began on January 25, 2023, and brought several former officials to court.
Acquittal
On December 4, 2023, the Criminal Court specializing in corruption crimes acquitted Mohamed Salem Ould Béchir, along with former Prime Minister Yahya Ould Hademine and former Minister of Petroleum Taleb Ould Abdi Vall, of all charges related to financial misconduct.{{Cite web |title=Procès pour corruption : les deux anciens Premiers ministres, Ould Béchir et Ould Hademine, relaxés |url=https://cridem.org/C_Info.php?article=770440 |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=www.cridem.org}}
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{s-bef|before=Yahya Ould Hademine}}
{{s-ttl|title=Prime Minister of Mauritania|years=2018–2019}}
{{s-aft|after=Ismail Ould Bedde Ould Cheikh Sidiya}}
{{s-end}}
{{MauritaniaPMs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Béchir, Mohamed Salem Ould}}
Category:Prime ministers of Mauritania
Category:Energy ministers of Mauritania
Category:Mining ministers of Mauritania