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Cameroon state oil company says personnel linked to Glencore kickbacks will deal with UK court

The head of Cameroon's. National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) has said some supervisors. and workers will appear before a UK court over thought. participation in bribery offenses connected to Swiss product trader. Glencore.

Adolphe Moudiki, SNH's administrator and director basic,. had actually formerly denied personnel participation but late on Friday. provided a declaration saying some workers had actually been identified as. suspects and would appear before a British court on Sept. 10.

In June 2022, Glencore's UK subsidiary pleaded guilty at a. London court to 7 counts of bribery in connection with oil. operations in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria. and South Sudan.

On Thursday, Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) charged. Glencore's former head of oil Alex Beard with 2 conspiracies. to make corrupt payments to federal government officials and staff members. of state-owned oil companies in Nigeria and in Cameroon.

SNH welcomes the progress of procedures against the. criminals and accomplices of the acts of corruption that have. tainted its image, Moudiki said in the declaration.

He did not state how many SNH staff were included.

Glencore's UK subsidiary has confessed paid allurements in. Cameroon to SNH authorities and others to the amount of 7 billion CFA. francs ($ 11 million) to protect preferential access to oil. between 2011 and 2016.

Cameroonian lawyer and anti-corruption professional Akere Muna. said SNH ought to divulge identities of those included and. suspend all negotiations with Glencore.

The perpetrators are within Cameroon, the transactions that. gave rise to the corruption took place in Cameroon yet they. expect us to think the option will originate from London, said. Muna, a former vice-chairperson of corruption watchdog. Transparency International.

In July 2022, Cameroon's state anti-corruption commission. stated an investigation into the bribery offenses was underway,. however it has actually not considering that shared additional information.

SNH is a state business that offers the share of national. crude oil production accruing to the state on the international. market.

(source: Reuters)