THE GLENCORE AFFAIR: PART A – CAMEROONIANS CONTINUE TO LIVE IN SUSPENSE

The much awaited GLENCORE Affair came up at the Westminster Court in London on September 10, 2024, but the session ended leaving Cameroonians in a state of continuous suspense, as the names of Cameroonians officials that received 7 billion FCFA bribe in the oil deal were not revealed. Another rendezvous is billed for October 8.

Cameroonians were overwhelmed with anxiety as the September 10, 2024 court session on the GLENCORE Affair opened at the Westminster Magistrate Court in London, Britain. It had been hoped that the names of the white –collar bandits at the National Hydrocarbons Corporation, SNH, and the National Oil Finery commonly known by the French acronym, SONARA, as well as some government officials, that robbed the State of billions francs CFA  in an oil deal with the multinational company, GLENCORE, will be unmasked. But it didn’t happen. Cameroonians were however given another rendezvous for October 8, 2024.

 7 Billion FCFA Bribe Money

It would be recalled that the multinational company, GLENCORE, which deals in a number of economic activities, especially in oil (petrol and gas), was suspected of engaging in unethical business practice, in business deal  struck in some African countries, including Cameroon. GLENCORE admitted to having committed the criminal act when the British judiciary led by the Attorney General, opened investigations. GLENCORE confessed that unethical deals were struck, leading to huge bribes being paid to some unscrupulous officials in some oil producing African countries, including Cameroon. In Cameroon for example, GLENCORE admitted that it paid bribes of over 10.5 million euros, which is equivalent to some 7 billion FCFA (seven billion francs CFA), to some officials of SNH and SONARA, as well as to some government officials. The deal was to enable the company to have the freehand to temper with the selling of Cameroon oil.

Following the deal,   Cameroon’s oil was reportedly sold at a 30 % discount below market price. It was a situation that caused significant losses in revenue for the country. Some unpatriotic and corrupt fellows with filthy minds, passing for ‘big men’ in the society, placed their selfish interests above country.

Special Criminal Court, Yaounde

Meanwhile when the scandal (GLENCORE Affair) erupted on May 30, 2022, the management of SNH and SONARA stayed mute. Even when GLENCORE that was indicted for corruption, admitted its guilt and was condemned by the Southwark Crown Court in London on November 3, 2022, SNH and SONARA still remained quiet.

Then when the renowned crusader against corruption, Barrister Akere Muna (former President of the Cameroon Bar Council), took up the matter (GLENCORE Affair),  the management of SNH was first in denial, and  strict  orders were given for all GLENCORE related documents at SONARA in Limbe, to be secretly moved to Yaounde.

But the British judiciary made significant progress in the scandalous GLENCORE Affair, and indicted six persons on the GLENCORE side. GLENCORE too had admitted that bribes were paid. Then those indicted in the matter finally hinted that they would unmarked those fellows who grabbed the bribes in Cameroon. The management of SNH seemingly panicked, and started talking of how it was bent on seeing that the culprits in Cameroon are named and shamed, and severely sanctioned.

In that panic, the management of SNH, or better still the Administrator – Director General of the State owned company, Adolphe Moudiki, who has been in that post for over three decades, wrote and asked President Biya for authorization to take the matter to the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde. When the authorization was granted, SNH on November 6, 2023, deposited a complaint at the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde. The State Corporation in the complaint, called on the court to carry out an investigation at SNH, based on the declaration or admission by GLENCORE that a huge bribe was paid to some officials of the company.

But so far, that is, about 10 months after, the Special Criminal Court has not made a statement on the matter. It is not clear whether the court has opened the investigation or not. It is not also clear whether the complaint that SNH deposited at the Special Criminal Court, was actually meant to be taken seriously, or it was just meant to blindfold the population that something was being done at the level of Cameroon, to identify and track down the culprits in the GLENCORE Affair.

  Westminster Magistrate Court, London

Meanwhile as aforementioned, Cameroonians had been filled with anxiety ahead of the September 10, 2024 court session at the Westminster Magistrate Court in London, as there was the expectation that the names of six defendants on the GLENCORE side indicted in the corruption scandal, would unmasked the yet unknown Cameroonians at SNH, SONARA and Government, that received the huge bribe money to the total of 7 billion FCFA, in the oil deal. But it did not happened, as was expected.  However there are hopes that the criminals will be unmasked during the next court session, scheduled on October 8, 2024.

Worthy of note that the court session on October 8, 2024, will instead come up at the Soutthwark Crown Court, still in London. This is because at the September 10 session at the Westminster Magistrate Court in London, the court decided to transfer the matter to the Southwark Crown Court, considering the gravity of the offenses.

Two Out Of Six Defendants To Plead Not Guilty

Meanwhile the six former senior personnel of GLENCIORE indicted in the GLENCORE Affair, were identified by the Westminster Court at the September 10 session.

But contrary to reports on the social media that all the six defendants indicted in the corruption scandal, pleaded guilty when they appeared at the Westminster Magistrate Court on September 10, 2024, Barrister Akere Muna who was present in the London Court does not say so.  According to Barrister Muna who closely followed the proceedings live in court, one of the defendants, Alex Beard, and one other defendant, indicated in court on September 10, that they will be pleading not guilty in the case. This means that only four of the six defendants will be pleading guilty in the case.  Thus the defendants that will be expected to disclose the names of the persons in Cameroon, that received the huge bribe money from GLENCORE, will thus be among the four defendants that have indicated that they will plead guilty.

Selfish Thieves

 It has been alleged that one of the four defendants that has indicated that he will plead guilty in the case, and has promised to unmasked the co-criminals in Cameroon, is quoted to have said that some of the Cameroonians they treated with were very vicious and dubious, to the point that they repeatedly lied that the President of the Republic was waiting for his own envelope from GLENCORE.

Also, from the look of things, those individuals or senior officials on the Cameroon side that struck the corruption deal with GLENCORE gave the false impression that they were negotiating on behalf of the management of SNH and SONARA, as well as some personalities in Government. But from the way the Administrator –Director General of SNH, Adolphe Moudiki, is now reacting to the GLENCORE Affiar, it seemed he was not involved in the deal, either directly or indirectly.  It looked like those senior management personnel and government officials that negotiated the secret deal with GLENCORE to disburse as much as 7 billion FCFA as bribe money to SNH, SONARA and the Government, quietly pocketed everything. If it is true that they ate alone, they will now have to die alone.