The GLENCORE Affair: SNH Steps Up Pressure On Special Criminal Court To Handle The Big Corruption Case As Concerns Cameroon

Cameroonians disappointed with decision by London Court, to push the start of hearing in the second phase of the case, in which Cameroon is involved, to June 2027

The management of the  State owned National Hydrocarbon Corporation commonly known as SNH, has stepped up pressure on the Special Criminal Court in Cameroon’s capital , Yaounde, to investigate, identity and put on trial all those in Cameroon indicted in the big corruption scandal commonly known as GLENCORE Affair.

The stepping up of pressure on the Special Criminal Court in Cameroon, by the management of SNH, follows the rather disappointing decision by the Southwark Crown Court in London, mid last week. The court decided that hearing in the second phase of the GLENCORE Affair will only begin on June 1, 2027, that is, almost in three years’ time.  It would only be then, that the indicted former GLENCORE executives that carried out the bribery, will among other things reveal the names of those to whom they gave money in Cameroon.

But the National Hydrocarbon Corporation which has former Justice Minister, Adolph Moudiki, as Administrator – Director General, has made it clear that it cannot wait for 2027 for the corporation’s senior personnel who were involved in the huge corruption scandal, to be identified and made to face the full weight of the Law. For one thing too, the name of the National Hydrocarbon Corporation and all sorts of allegations or suspicions, are at the center of the GLENCORE Affair as concerns Cameroon, considering the corporation’s key role in the country’s oil sector.  Moudiki’s wish is thus certainly that the fellows in SNH, SONARA and the Government that were involved in the GLENCORE Affair, should be identified and indicted by the Special Criminal Court to face trial, and thus clear the corporation’s name.

    The GLENCORE Affair 

As to what  the GLENCORE Affair is all about, it  should be noted that the multinational company, GLENCORE, which deals in a number of economic activities, especially oil (petrol and gas), was charged  in Britain for involvement in unethical business practice. The company got indulged in secret business deals struck in some African countries, including Cameroon. GLENCORE, a British – Swiss Company, admitted to having committed the criminal act, when the British judiciary, precisely the UK Serious Fraud Office, 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.

As regards Cameroon, GLENCORE admitted that it paid bribes to the total sum of 10.5 million euros, which is equivalent to some 7 billion FCFA (seven billion francs CFA), to some  personalities at the National Hydrocarbons Corporation, the National Oil Refinery commonly known by the French acronym, SONARA, as well as to some government officials. The deal was to enable GLENCORE to have a freehand to temper with the selling of Cameroon oil. Following the deal, Cameroon’s oil was reportedly sold to GLENCORE at a 30 % discount below market price. It was a situation that caused significant losses in revenue for the country.

Worthy of note that the Administrator – Director General of SNH, Adolphe Moudiki, disclosed in a communiqué on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, that as concerns SNH, the affair took place within the period of 2012 – 2015. That is within a four year period. So the 7 billion FCFA bribe – money was given to some Cameroonians by GLENCORE, during the period of four years. But it should be noted that some reports say the GLENCORE Affair took place during the period of 2007 – 2014,   while the SNH Boss  in his September 10  communiqué talked of 2012 – 2015.

First Phase Of Case At Southwark Crown Court London

Meanwhile when the UK Serious Fraud Office, got hint of the huge corruption deal that some executive officers of GLENCORE carried out in a number of African countries including Cameroon, an investigation was opened, which ended up with the GLENCORE Company being dragged to court, precisely to the Southwark Crown Court in London.  GLENCORE Company pleaded guilty in the matter at the Southwark Crown Court London, that some of the company’s executive officers paid bribes for oil deals they struck in some African countries, including Cameroon. The court slammed a huge fine on GLENCORE, which the company paid.  GLENCORE among other things sacked all the executives of the company that carried out the big bribe deal in the name of the company.

Second Phase Of The Case

The second phase of the GLECORE Affair case is on the sacked executives of the GLENCORE Company that gave the bribe – money, and the personalities in the African countries that received the bribe – packages. As concerns Cameroon, the sacked executives of GLENCO, had reportedly promised to name the bribe takers in court. The ex- executives of GLENCORE appeared in court for the first time on September 10, 2024. This was at the Westminster Court in London. They appeared in court as defendants in the corruption case. The Westminster Court identified each of the defendants.

Meanwhile there was a lot of anxiety in Cameroon in the morning of that September 10, 2024, as the defendants had reportedly said that they would name the persons who received the bribe money from GLENCORE Company, at the court session on that day. But the matter did not get to that point during that first court session on that September 10. Rather by the end of that session. the Westminster Court announced the transfer of the matter to the Southwark Crown Court still in London, considering the gravity  of  the offence. It was also announced that the matter would come up at the Southwark Crown Court on October 8, 2024.  In Cameroon, the public was made to think that the names of the bribe – takers in the GLENCORE Affair would be revealed in the October 8 court session.

Disappointing News For Cameroonians

The second phase of the case on the GLENCORE Affair actually came up on October 8, 2024 at Southwark Crown Court in London. The session extended to October 9. But the  very disappointing news that Cameroonians received at the end of the court session, was that  hearing on the matter will only begin on June 1, 2027, that in close to 3 years.  It is during the hearing proper in the case that the former executives of the GLECORE Group, who are defendants in the matter, will have to name the big men at SNH and SONARA, as well as the Government officials, that received the 7 billion FCFA bribe in the oil deal. That is definitely too long a period for Cameroonians to have to wait.

No matter the reason that the Southwark Crown Court London has to push the start of hearing in the corruption case to as far as June 2027, the decision has elements of controversy. It should be noted that the first phase of the case, that had to do with British interest, and which was handled by the same court, did not take a long time.  More so, not one of the former executives of GLENCORE, that are defendants in this second phase of the case that concerns a number of African countries including Cameroon, is on pre-trial detention, despite the gravity of the offence.  They are thus going about their daily activities freely.

Management Of SNH Unwilling To Wait

Interestingly enough, the Administrator – Director General of  the National Hydrocarbon Corporation, former Justice Minister Adolph Moudiki, and his top management team, are not willing to wait till 2027 for the names of the persons in the  corporation involved in the GLENCORE Affair, to be revealed, for them to face the weight of Law. It would be recalled that last year, the SNH Boss wrote to the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, to demand permission for the corporation to take the matter to court. President Biya finally granted the authorization.

It would be recalled that the Administrator – Director General of SNH, Adolph Moudiki, late last year deposited a complaint dated November 6, 2023, at  the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde, and called on the court to investigate the GLENCORE Affair in Cameroon, and  punished severely in line with Cameroon’s Criminal Code, all those found guilty. Teams of investigators from the Special Criminal Court, as well as the Supreme State Control, were said to have been to the National Hydrocarbon Corporation following Moudiki’s complaint. But then the Special Criminal Court has been silent about its findings so far.  It is not clear whether the court has in its investigation identified any suspect or accused person at SNH. It is not also clear whether the court has extended its investigation to SONARA and related Government ministries and institutions that are represented in the Board of Directors, and the Contract Board, of the National Hydrocarbon Corporation.

SNH Steps Up Pressure On Special Criminal Court

Whatever the case, following the decision by the London Court that hearing on the second phase of the GLENCORE Affair will only begin in June 2027, the management of the National Hydrocarbon Corporation, has stepped up pressure on the Special Criminal Court to hasten up with its handling of the complaint of the Administrator – Director General, Adolph Moudiki, that was deposited late last year on the GLENCORE Affair. It will soon clock one year that Moudiki’s complaint dated November 6, 2023, was deposited at the Special Criminal Court.  The SNH wants the Special Criminal Court to rapidly take appropriate action on the matter. From all indications, the hands of the Administrator – Director General of the National Hydrocarbon Corporation, Adolph Moudiki, are clean in the GLENCORE Affair, despite what some detractors earlier claimed,, and  Moudiki seemingly wants to put them to shame.