THE GLENCORE AFFAIR: Suspects In Cameroon Found At The Presidency, Prime Minister’s Office, Four Ministries, SNH And SONARA

Teams of investigators from Special Criminal Court and Supreme State Control have been to SNH.

Information containing some precision is gradually coming out about the possible suspects in the GLENCORE Affair in Cameroon. The suspects are at the Presidency of the Republic, the Prime Minister’s Office, four ministries including the Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development, as well as at the National Hydrocarbons Corporations, SNH, and the National Oil Refinery which is commonly known by the French acronym, SONARA. Some of the suspects are said to have gone on retirement.

The GLENCORE Affair which came up at the Westminster Magistrate Court in London, Britain on September 10, 2024, will next come up at Southwark Crown Court London on October 8, 2024.  This followed a decision by the Westminster Court to transfer the case to the Southwark Crown Court, considering the gravity of the offences.

                                        The GLENCORE Affair  

As to what the case is all about, it  should be recalled that the multinational company, GLENCORE, which deals in a number of economic activities, especially oil (petrol and gas), was suspected of engaging in unethical business practice, in secret business deals  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 to the total sum of 10.5 million euros, which is equivalent to some 7 billion FCFA (seven billion francs CFA), to some senior personnel at  the National Hydrocarbons Corporation, the National Oil Refinery, 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 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.

                            Names Of The Culprits In Cameroon, Still Unknown

But as The Mentor mentioned last week, so far the names of the suspects in the GLENCORE Affair in Cameroon are not yet known. The former senior personnel of GLENCORE that carried out the deal in Cameroon, and a number of oil producing African counties, were all sacked from the company. They appeared at the Westminster Court in London as defendants in the corruption case, on September 10, 2024. The GLENCORE Company had earlier pleaded guilty in an earlier matter at the Southward Crown Court London, that the company paid bribes for oil deals they struck in some African countries, including Cameroon.  The second phase of the case which opened on September 10, 2024 in London is focused on the identification and trial of those men who gave the bribes, and those that received the bribes. Thus as far as Cameroon is concern, the Cameroonians to be identified and indicted in the matter are those who received the bribe.

There was a lot of anxiety in Cameroon in the morning of that September 10, as the defendants had reportedly said that they would name those 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 court session, and it is hoped that the list of names of members of the gang in Cameroon, will be released during the next court session to come up at the Southward Crown Court on October 8, 2024.

                        Most Members Of The Contract Board Of SNH, Come From Outside

Meanwhile The Mentor has gathered from dependable sources, that though the names of the persons that grabbed the huge bribe money from GLENCORE are not yet known, the primary suspects are those who were members of the Contract Board of SNH, during the period that the  racket took place, that is 2012 – 2015. As aforementioned, some of the suspects are now on retirement. However if their names appear on the list that is expected to be released in the Southwark Crown Court London during the October 8 session,  there is no doubt that they will  be dragged out of their retirement to stand trial.  One of the suspects at SNH said to have gone on retirement, is said to have rejected the extension of his stay at the corporation for two more years, when he got to the retirement age.  That had surprised SNH management, which is now beginning to suspect why he turned down the extension.

The Mentor has leant that a majority of members of the Contract Board of SNH, come from outside the corporation. They come from the Presidency, the Prime Minister’s Office, and four ministries.  These are the persons that the GLENCORE men referred to, as government officials in Cameroon that were among those who received the bribe.

Members Of The Contract Board Of SNH

The Mentor has gathered that the composition of the membership of the Contract Board of SNH stands as follows: 1 representative of the Presidency of the Republic, 1 representative of the Prime Minister’s Office, 1 representative of the Ministry of Mines, Industries and Technological Development. 1 representative of the Ministry of Finance, 1 representative of the Ministry of Justice and keeper of the Seal,  1 representative of the Ministry in charge of Public Contracts,  and 2 representatives of the SNH.

In principle, the General Manager of SNH cannot sign any contract that has not been examined and approved by the Contract Board. Also, according to the text, any company that applies for a contract at SNH and feels cheated by the Contract Board in the award, has the right to petition the Arbitration Commission of the Corporation, which is headed by a judge from Cameroon’s Supreme Court. The GLENCORE contract was examined and approved by the Contract Board, and so in principle the General Manager of SNH had to sign. it But there will definitely be questions as to how the General Manager of SNH and his close collaborators, could have led go such a contract with a 30 % discount for a period of four years.

                                      Non Members Of Contract Board

Meanwhile no one is ruling out the possibility that some persons in the top management of SNH, could have been involved in the multibillion franc CFA secret deal that was struck with the multinational company, GLENCORE, which has now come to be known as the GLENCORE Affair. But if any person who was not a member of the Contract Board was directly involved in the secret negotiation with GLENCORE, and also directly received the bribe money, it would likely have been that he or she did that behalf, or in complicity, with some members of the Contract Board. It is difficult to imagine that GLENCORE could have discussed the deal or given money to any person, who was not in a position as member of the Contract Board, to influence the award of the contracts on the terms that were agreed.

It is possible that some ‘big men’ in Cameroon that are not members of the Contract Board of SNH, received their own shares of the bribe money from GLENCIORE through, or from, those that directly received the bribe money during the four year period. Well, if it happened that those who discussed and struck the deal with the GLENCORE men did share the bribe – money with their bosses or whoever, it will be for them to expose that, when the moment comes.

Special Criminal Court / Supreme State Control

Meanwhile The Mentor has gathered that teams of investigators from the Special Criminal Court have both separately been to the National Hydro Carbons Corporation, and interrogated a number of Directors on the GLENCORE Affair. It would be recalled that the Administrator – Director General of SNH, Adlophe 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.

But so far neither the Supreme State Control nor the Special Criminal Control has indicted anybody in Cameroon, in the GLENCORE Affair. The Mentor has learnt that both the Special Criminal Court and the Supreme State Control,  do not consider it wise to indict any person  in the GLENCORE Affair, as the defendants in the matter, have promised to release the names of the Cameroonians who received the huge bribe from the multinational company. For one thing, it will definitely be a big embarrassment to either the Special Criminal Court or the Supreme Stare Control, to indict somebody, and tomorrow those GLENCORE guys that gave the bribe, say the person was not among those that received the bribe.