The issue of former President Andry Rajoelina’s nationality has returned to the spotlight. The Prosecutor General at the Antananarivo Court of Appeal, Bienvenue Manjany, announced the opening of an investigation into the 2023 issuance of a nationality certificate to the former head of state. The procedure follows a complaint filed by the Legislation and Litigation Department of the Prime Minister’s Office, he stated in a video released by the Ministry of Justice on Thursday evening.
According to the magistrate, the complaint reached the prosecutor’s office on August 18, 2026. It specifically concerns the conditions under which the nationality certificate was issued to the former president, who used it in his application file for the 2023 presidential election. In his statement, Bienvenue Manjany recalled that the former head of state obtained it while having acquired French nationality on November 19, 2024. The procedure must therefore examine the former president’s situation in relation to the provisions of the Nationality Code, which stipulates that “a Malagasy adult who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses Malagasy nationality,” as the Prosecutor General noted.
The question of Andry Rajoelina’s nationality was already a subject of debate during his candidacy for the 2023 presidential election. The High Constitutional Court (HCC) had validated his candidacy at the time, noting that no decree declaring or confirming the loss of Malagasy nationality had been issued by that date. In October 2025, a few days after he left Madagascar following his ousting from power, a decree declaring the loss of Andry Rajoelina’s Malagasy nationality was signed by the first Prime Minister of the Refoundation, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo.
The investigation conducted by the prosecutor’s office will now determine whether the document established in 2023 involved potential fraud or administrative irregularities. The Legislation and Litigation Department of the Prime Minister’s Office, which initiated the complaint, will be heard first. The prosecutor’s office will then proceed to interview other individuals involved in the case, depending on the evidence gathered during the investigation. The Prosecutor General specified that the potential absence of a person involved in the proceedings does not hinder the prosecution, provided that the formalities required by law are respected.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-11 07:38:35 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.2424.mg/justice-une-enquete-ouverte-sur-la-delivrance-dun-certificat-de-nationalite-a-andry-rajoelina-suite-a-une-plainte-du-bureau-du-premier-ministre/