THE head of Cameroon’s National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH), Adolphe Moudiki, announced that several managers and employees are set to appear before a UK court on September 10 over alleged involvement in bribery offences connected to Swiss commodity trader Glencore. This marks a significant turn of events after Moudiki had previously denied any staff involvement.
In June 2022, Glencore’s UK subsidiary admitted to seven counts of bribery related to its oil operations in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and South Sudan. The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) recently charged Glencore’s former head of oil, Alex Beard, with two conspiracies to make corrupt payments to government officials and employees of state-owned oil companies in Nigeria and Cameroon.
Moudiki expressed support for the legal proceedings, stating, ‘SNH welcomes the progress of proceedings against the perpetrators and accomplices of the acts of corruption that have tarnished its image.’ However, he did not disclose the number of SNH staff involved.
Glencore’s UK subsidiary admitted to paying bribes totalling CFA7bn ($11 million) to SNH officials and others between 2011 and 2016 to secure preferential access to oil.
Cameroonian lawyer and anti-corruption expert Akere Muna criticized SNH for not being more transparent and called for the suspension of all dealings with Glencore. ‘The culprits are within Cameroon, the transactions that gave rise to the corruption took place in Cameroon yet they expect us to believe the solution will come from London,’ said Muna, a former vice-chairperson of Transparency International.
Despite an investigation announced by Cameroon’s state anti-corruption commission in July 2022, no further details have been shared. SNH remains a key player in selling the nation’s crude oil production on the international market.
