Why did Gabon’s Sotec pay 500,000 euros in France?

Gabonese company Sotec has paid a €500,000 fine in France, bringing to an end a corruption case that lasted nearly two decades.

On July 10, 2024, the French judiciary confirmed that the Gabonese company Sotec had paid a fine of 500,000 euros in a corruption case. This decision was part of an investigation since July 2007 into a 7 million euro contract between the French group Marc, which specializes in the production of military uniforms, and Gabon.

The role of Maixent Accrombessi

Maxent Akron-BessieA former right-hand man of then-Gabonese Defense Minister Ali Bongo played a key role as a middleman in this affair. He is accused of receiving money in exchange for awarding the contract to Mark. Sotec, a company owned by Gabonese-Malian businessman Seydou Kane, is believed to be one of the “vehicles” of this corruption.

Judgment under CJIP: What does it mean?

The fine imposed on Sotec was determined within the framework of the Convention on Justice in the Public Interest (CJIP). This mechanism makes it possible to end legal proceedings without an admission of guilt or a formal conviction. The president of the court, Stéphane Noël, confirmed the agreement, thus allowing Sotec to turn the page on a case that has dragged on for nearly twenty years.

Also read: Alleged corruption trial: Pascalin Bongo benefits from acquittal, pure and simple

Cooperation in commutation of sentence

The amount of the fine was calculated taking into account various factors, including Sotec’s cooperation with the prosecution and the absence of personal enrichment by Seydou Kane, who accepted a fine of €500,000, of which €200,000 was suspended, when he pleaded guilty (CRPC) on 5 June 2024.

Lawsuits against Marck and Accrombessi

In addition to the fine imposed on Sotec, prosecutors also requested that the Marck Group be tried for corruption of foreign public officials and Maixent Accrombessi for money laundering in February 2024. This request shows the desire of the French authorities to track down the main players in the corruption case.

Also read: Gabon: Ali Bongo was “treated with dignity”, assured government, which expressed “surprise”

Reactions and consequences

Sotec and Seydou Kane’s lawyers, Mes Clémentine Veltz, Emmanuel Daoud and Éric Moutet, welcomed the decision and stressed that the CJIP allows small companies to close legal documents that are too long. “This criminal negotiation mechanism allows a case that is almost 20 years old to be brought to a close,” they commented.

Political Scandal

The matter took a political turn in 2015 when Maixent Accrombessi, then-President Ali Bongo’s chief of staff, was briefly arrested and interrogated in France. Ali Bongo denounced the arrest as an attempt to humiliate his country.