𝙎𝙉𝙃 𝙎𝘼𝙔𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙀𝘿 𝙏𝙊 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙎𝙀𝘾𝙐𝙏𝙀 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙈𝙉 𝙂𝙇𝙀𝙉𝘾𝙊𝙍𝙀-𝙂𝘼𝙏𝙀 𝙎𝙐𝙎𝙋𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙎

– 𝘼𝙆𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝙈𝙐𝙉𝘼’𝙎 𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙉𝙎𝙀

In a press release signed yesterday, the SNH’s Adolphe Moudiki writes:

“Glencore case: the sNH is determined & prosecute and convict all those involved Director General of the National Hydrocarbons Company (SNH) informs national and international opinion that SNH is following very closely the hearings of the managers and employees of the multinational Glencore, who have been appearing before the British courts since September 10, 2024 for acts of corruption committed in African countries, including Cameroon, the acts of corruption for which Glencore was convicted by judgment decided by Southwark Crown Court (London) on November 3, 2022, covering the period from 2012 – 2015, with regard to Cameroon.

The hearing opened at Westminster Magistrates’ Court (London). This one declared incompetent in view of the seriousness of the charges. sent the case back at Southwark Crown Court, and granted bail to six accused, pending the next hearing which will be held on October 8.

This is the place to recall that SNH had notified Glencore on May 30, 2022, as soon as The outbreak of this matter, then on June 5, 2003, after the conviction of Glencore on November 3, 2022, so that it communicates the names of the agents of SNH who may be involved in this matter, But Glencore had refused this request. claiming an anonymity clause concluded with Serious Fraud Office, a government agency attached to the Attorney General, which led the investigation.

Following the revelation of this matter, in May 2022, the SNH froze all its activities with Glencore, both in the field of exploration/production and on a commercial level

In any event, SNH awaits its hearing by the Special Criminal Court, following the complaint filed on November 6, 2023, with the hope that all those involved in these economic crimes will be unmasked and punished in accordance with the Cameroonian Penal Code. Finally, SNH would like to recall its attachment to the values of ethics, fairness and of economic patriotism. signed: Adolphe Moudiki.” (Our loose translation).

In a response, on his Facebook page, Barrister Akere Muna writes: “GLENCORE GATE

I intentionally decided to wait a day before describing what happened in court yesterday. I was convinced that, in light of the current “communiqué diarrhoea” plaguing SNH, they would rush to release a document to showcase their newfound proactivity. I was right; they did, but they got it all wrong.
The court did not declare itself incompetent. Instead, it identified the six accused individuals and allowed them to remain on bail without any conditions. The court ensured that all parties understood the facts and charges presented. It then informed the parties that, due to the gravity of the offenses, the case would be transferred to Southwark Crown Court, where it is scheduled to be called on October 8 at 9:30 AM. If the court were to declare itself incompetent, it would not have heard any part of the case, ruled on bail, or proceeded to transfer the matter to another court while fixing a date and time. The magistrate was performing duties akin to those of a “Juge de mise en état” in French law. At Southwark Crown Court, the defendants will be arraigned. At Westminster Court, Alex Beard and one other indicated they would be pleading not guilty.
SNH’s communiqué references November 2022, which is somewhat ironic, considering that when I first revealed this case, SNH claimed it was untrue and that their internal regulations prohibited such actions. SNH stated that it had written to Glencore to request the names of those they admitted to corrupting. How can one ask criminals to disclose the names of their accomplices? In 2019, all of Glencore’s top executives and the Board were dismissed. SNH, which professes to uphold ethical values, integrity, and economic patriotism (whatever that means), had one clear course of action: to terminate Glencore’s contracts, which were fraudulently obtained. The applicable legal principle is “Fraus omnia corrumpit.” Yet, SNH has taken no action—not even a simple civil suit!
SNH has put forth a defense for Glencore, asserting that the latter could not disclose the names due to a supposed agreement with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that prevents them from providing any information. This claim lacks supporting documentation. SNH seems to agree with Glencore that they cannot disclose the names of their corrupt employees. Meanwhile, Glencore is bound by a plea agreement (Article 12) signed with the U.S. Department of Justice, which requires them to answer all questions posed by the investigating authorities in Cameroon. This obligation ends next year, which may explain the evident delay tactics in this case.
SNH now claims to have suspended all dealings with Glencore since this matter was revealed, yet there has been no contemporaneous publication of this supposed action. Some information indicates that SNH was still dealing with Glencore as recently as a year ago. SNH appears to act as Glencore’s accomplice across the board! EITI has been asking SNH since last year to disclose all actions taken against Glencore. They had the perfect opportunity to do so, even during a Board of Directors meeting held at the Presidency, where Glencore was not even discussed! This is one of the greatest corruption scandals of the century, and Cameroon is implicated. Shame on us. The summary of SNH’s strategy seems to be “wait for the TCS”! Cameroon’s Minister of Finance  must be congratulated for not being complacent and for pursuing Glencore for the tax and customs fraud they confessed to in UK and US proceedings

What the SNH communiqué fails to mention:
1) SNH does not address the charge sheet, which outlines the accusations against the defendants. The charge sheet states clearly among other things that:
“Between 01/04/2007 and 31/12/2014, Martin Wakefield, Alexander Beard, and Andrew Gibson conspired together and with others to make corrupt payments to officials of the Government of Cameroon and/or Société des Hydrocarbures (SNH) and/or Société Nationale de Raffinage (Sonara), as inducements or rewards for showing favor in relation to their principal’s affairs or business with Glencore in oil transactions in Cameroon, contrary to section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906.”

2) SNH does not explain why the percentage of the discount accorded to Vitol changed from 70% to 34% and from 30% to 15% for Glencore. SNH has again been caught lying.

So, what can Cameroonian citizens expect from the London proceedings? I do not believe any Cameroonian will be charged among the seven individuals cited as defendants. Five have already been named (Alex Beard, Andrew Gibson, Paul Hopkirk, Ramon Labiaga, and Martin Wakefield) for conspiring to make corrupt payments to benefit Glencore’s oil operations in West Africa. During the last hearing, a sixth person, David Perez, another former Glencore employee, was added to the list. Only one individual remains undisclosed, and I do not believe he or she is Cameroonian.

Thus, we should not focus on that. What we should be concerned about is the content of the charges, as the details regarding the involvement of Cameroonians will emerge during the proceedings. Light will dispel the darkness. “Man no run.””