By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Eminent lawyer and international legal consultant, Barrister Akere Muna, says Cameroonian investigators can easily summon Glencore to provide necessary information concerning the corruption case.
Barrister Akere made the statement on her Twitter social media handle recently. She said the National Hydrocarbons Company (SNH) as well as the National Oil Refinery, SONARA, and the Ministry of Finance cannot obtain information from Glencore’s offices in London or New York.
“Cameroonian investigators (CONAC, ANIF, POLICE JUDICIAIRE, TCS) can easily summon Glencore to provide the necessary information, and failure to do so could result in a notification to the US Department of Justice,” Barrister Akere said.
Barrister Akere stated that by pleading guilty and signing the plea agreement, Glencore undertook to cooperate with the Cameroonian investigating authorities (Article 12 of the Agreement).
“…However, according to the agreement, Glencore’s commitments are only valid for three years (article 1 of the agreement). So, from next year, Glencore is no longer obligated to cooperate,” she added.
She indicated that SNH and SONARA can also demand information from Glencore Cameroon and, if they do not cooperate, they can cancel their contracts for fraud. According to her, Glencore has admitted paying bribes to obtain favorable business terms.
“This is fraud. It is clear that the corrupter-in-chief Glencore, as well as the corrupt senior officials at SONARA and SNH, are not fooling anyone. The truth will come out, justice will prevail, and Cameroonians will get their money back. ‘Man no run!’ he said.”
Prior to this statement, Barrister Akere had indicated that individuals involved in the Glencore corruption scandal, considered the biggest of the century, are located within Cameroon.
Her reaction was coming on the heels of a communique issued by SNH welcoming the progress of the proceedings against the perpetrators and the acts of corruption that tarnish its image regarding the Glencore Corruption Scandal.
The communique had indicated that the perpetrators’ appearance in court marks a significant step forward in the search for the truth in this scandalous affair.
“The SNH, which filed a complaint before 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 procedure in London will allow the acceleration of investigations at the TCS level,” the communique reads.
However, Barrister Akere had disagreed with the communique, arguing that the core of the corruption took place within Cameroon and that any meaningful resolution must originate domestically.
“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. It is clear that action must be taken locally,” he asserted.
Barrister Akere recalled that when she exposed the Glencore corruption scandal over two years ago, SNH claimed that corruption was impossible due to their internal regulations.
“Now, following the UK’s disclosure of the names of former Glencore employees facing charges, we are informed through a communique that a complaint was lodged in September 2023,” he said.
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