An attempt by the management of the SNH to hijack strides made in exposing those involved in the Glencore Case has been condemned by Barrister Akere Muna, the anti-corruption activist crusading in this connection for the last two years.
The General Manager of the SNH who at the outbreak of the scandal denied any involvement of his institution issued a new statement at the weekend claiming that it had initiated proceedings against Cameroonians involved in the Glencore Case at the Special Criminal Court and announced the identification and appearance of the leaders and employees of Glencore, who committed acts of corruption to the detriment of the SNH before the Westminster Court in London on September 10, 2024. He expressed confidence that the outcome of the proceedings in London would accelerate the investigations at the TCS level.
«The General Manager of the SNH, Minister Adolphe Moudiki, informs the national and international public that the leaders and employees of Glencore, who committed acts of corruption to the detriment of the SNH, have been identified and will appear before the Westminster Court in London on September 10, 2024. This information, which has just been made public, marks a significant step forward in the search for the truth in this sordid affair. The SNH, which filed a complaint with the Special Criminal Court (TCS) on November 6, 2023, to identify the Cameroonian accomplices of these acts of corruption, is confident that the outcome of the proceedings in London will accelerate the investigations at the TCS level», reads a statement published on August 2, 2024.
But reacting to Minister Moudiki’s statement, Akere Muna, who had already brought this large-scale corruption case to the public’s attention, accused SNH of hijacking the fight to expose those who received bribes to the tune of 7 billion in a bit to auction away Cameroon’s oil patrimony.
«I read the SNH press release and find it rather absurd. When I exposed the Glencore corruption scandal more than two years ago, the SNH claimed that there could be no corruption because it was prohibited by their internal regulations. Now, when the Serious Fraud Office of the United Kingdom makes public the names of former Glencore employees charged with corruption, we are informed by a statement that a complaint was filed in September 2023. (…) They are now rushing to inform us of a complaint filed last year, perhaps due to the imminent revelation of names by the English courts. Against whom is the complaint and what are the allegations?» asks Akere Muna.
In the message posted on X (formerly Twitter) on August 3, 2024, the Cameroonian lawyer provided an update on the proceedings before the British judiciary and outlined his strategy to apply pressure for the names of the Cameroonian officials who benefited from bribes from the Anglo-Swiss trader to be revealed.
«Glencore: the names are about to be revealed. The Attorney General of the United Kingdom has authorized the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to initiate criminal proceedings for corruption against individuals. (…) Glencore had set up two payment counters, one in the United Kingdom (closed in 2011) and another in Geneva (closed in 2016), as well as the use of private jets to transport money from Nigeria to Cameroon. Will the English courts reveal the identities of the corrupt Cameroonians? We will know in September. When the details of the operations are disclosed in the London court, clues about the identities of the involved Cameroonians will surely emerge. I encourage Cameroonians in the United Kingdom to join me in organizing a peaceful march to present a petition to the Attorney General of the United Kingdom, asking him to make public the names of these corrupt Cameroonians», wrote Akere Muna.
Akere Muna who between 2022 and 2023 unsuccessfully approached the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Conac), national courts, the Senate, and the National Assembly on this matter, continues: «Can the SNH explain why our crude oil was sold at a 30% discount below market price? Moreover, why was our crude oil sold to Vitol (a trader accused of corruption in Latin America) at a 70% discount? The plea agreement with the United States Department of Justice requires Glencore to fully cooperate with Cameroonian investigative authorities. Therefore, the SNH should suspend all transactions with Glencore due to their admitted corruption and compel them to reveal their Cameroonian accomplices. The culprits are in Cameroon, the transactions that led to the corruption took place in Cameroon, and yet they expect us to believe that the solution will come from London. It is clear that action must be taken locally. If the fish cannot be grilled, the people will do it. We will prevail, and the truth will prevail».
To fully understand this case, we need to go back to the end of 2022. Indeed, on November 3 of that year, the British judiciary fined the Anglo-Swiss trader £276 million (162.73 billion FCFA) after the company pleaded guilty to acts of corruption to obtain oil contracts in five African countries, including Cameroon. «Corruption was clearly part of the culture of a number of staff members in the West Africa office. The charges represent a sophisticated offense that took place over extended periods measured in years», commented Judge Peter Fraser of the Southwark Crown Court in London.
7 billion in bribes in Cameroon
Indeed, appearing before the British judiciary in May 2022, Glencore admitted to making approximately $79.6 million (about 50 billion FCFA) in payments to intermediary companies to obtain undue advantages and maintain contracts with public and state-controlled entities in certain African countries: Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and South Sudan. According to a statement made by a lawyer for the Anglo-Swiss multinational on May 24, 2022, about 7 billion FCFA in bribes were paid to officials of the Société nationale des hydrocarbures (SNH) and the Société nationale de raffinage (Sonara) to favour Glencore’s operations in Cameroon.
