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Last Updated: Jul 16, 2008 - 8:52:12 AM |
Private jets, Bugatti cars, a shark-filled aquarium and enough bank
accounts to paper the new luxury yacht - the extraordinary capacity of
some African leaders and their families for apparent self-enrichment
has been laid bare in a French lawsuit over allegedly stolen state
money.
Following an inquiry last year by the French fraud body OCRGDF, an
anti-corruption campaign group has accused a string of African
politicians of plundering vast sums from the often struggling economies
of their countries.
Inhabitants of Gabon or the Republic of Congo who have ever wondered
what happens to their precious oil and mining revenues don't need to
look any further than Paris and the French Riviera.
The richest parts of France are teeming with homes, cars, boats and
other expensive baubles belonging - in practice, at least - to tropical
Africa's political elite.
Gabon's President Omar Bongo and President Denis Sassous N'Guesso of
the Republic of Congo, together with their associates and relations,
are the most frequently cited in the suit, filed by Transparency
International France, along with three Gabonese and Congolese citizens.
According to OCRGDF, as of last year, 15 members of Mr Bongo's family
had 70 bank accounts in France.
The autocratic ruler of the tiny but oil-rich country himself allegedly
owns 11 properties in Paris including a mansion in the chic 16th
arrondissement worth 19 million euros. He is said to have five more
homes in Nice and a Ferrari 612 to buzz in between them.
His son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, allegedly has three expensive cars - a
Ferrari 456 GTA, a Mercedes S600 limousine and a Porsche 911 Carrera .
By contrast, some 16 members of Mr Sassous N'Guesso's family prefer to
concentrate on their collection of bank accounts, between them owning
apparently 111 in France alone.
They are also said to have a luxury residence in Paris's chic Avenue
Foch, and others in Parisian suburbs such as Courbevoie and Velizy, as
well as the Cote d'Azur.
But in their capacity to spoil themselves a bit, even the Bongos are
outclassed by Teodoro Nguema, son of Equitorial Guineas's president,
Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
Mr Nguema Jnr allegedly owns a Bugatti Veyron - dubbed the most
powerful car in the world - which he bought for 1.1 million euros, as
well as a Maserati MC 12 which cost him 709,000 euros.
He also allegedly has a $35 million mansion in Malibu, California, a
$34 million private jet and a luxury yacht with an on-board shark
aquarium.
His president father is also on the list, along with Presidents Blaise
Compaoré of Burkina Faso and José Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola.
"There is little doubt that the fortune under scrutiny could not have
been obtained through the salaries and official benefits of the persons
concerned", claims Transparency International France.
"Even more serious, some of these people are highly suspected of
masterminding a huge embezzlement of public funds."
The suit exploits a recent French high court ruling that individuals
unable to explain how they paid for properties or a wealthy lifestyle
can be investigated.
The US Senate recently estimated that 8.5 per cent of Gabon's budget
goes unofficially and directly to the family of 72-year-old Mr Bongo,
the world's longest-serving leader.
A near identical lawsuit filed last year in France by other
anti-corruption groups came to nothing, as no link could be established
between the properties and embezzled state funds.
While the new suit is also likely to meet the same fate, Transparency
International France believes it could pave the way for a subsequent
full judicial inquiry.
"There is still resistance in Europe to pursuing African clans (through
the courts)", said William Bourdon, a lawyer from an international
network of legal experts called Sherpa. "But one day their estate will
have to be returned to African citizens," he told Libération newspaper.
Since the time of Charles de Gaulle, the "African cell" of the Elysée
has kept close, often shadowy ties with Francophone African leaders
known as "la FrançAfrique".
Personal ties between French and African leaders bound Paris to
friendly regimes which were given protection in exchange for political
allegiance, votes at the United Nations and deals with French firms
that were lucrative for all sides.
The names of Mr Bongo and Mr N'Guesso were frequently cited in recent
years in investigations into hundreds of millions of pounds of payments
by Elf, the former French state-owned oil group.
Before his election, President Nicolas Sarkozy indicated he wanted to
distance himself from long-time dictators like Mr Bongo, calling for a
"healthier relationship" with Africa.
But he appears to have changed his tune, sidelining a minister who
declared FrançAfrique "dead". Mr Bongo was a guest at the Elysée palace
last week.
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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