Two individuals and one company indicted for gross corruption in relation to oil licenses in Central Africa

Økokrim has issued an indictment regarding the use of bribes in the Republic of Congo (Congo – Brazzaville) during the period from 2016 and onwards. The bribes took place in parallel with the indicted persons applying for and obtaining a share in oil licenses in the country.

 

The bribes mentioned in the indictment are linked to the President of Congo and his close family members, and the value of the bribes is particularly high.

 

– Two Norwegian citizens have been indicted for gross corruption and gross accounting violations. The company they acted on behalf of is indicted for gross corruption, says the prosecutor in charge of the case, Senior Public Prosecutor Marianne Djupesland.

 

The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Petronor E&P ASA, which is quoted on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

 

Suspicions of market manipulation against the two indicted Norwegian citizens, the company and the former chairman of the Board of Petronor E&P ASA, have been closed without charges due to a lack of sufficient evidence.

 

The indictment is an illustration of what may be described as "grand corruption". This entails the use of bribes directed to the top public officials of a country, and often implies bribes of huge monetary value.

 

– Bribes in grand corruption cases may facilitate that the rulers of a country may abuse their powers to enrich themselves and their families to the detriment of the citizens of the country. Under the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention (officially the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions), Norway is under an obligation to investigate suspicions of this type of corruption, Djupesland says.

 

Norway does not have jurisdiction over the individuals who have received what is described as bribes in the indictment, and Økokrim has therefore not considered any potential criminal liability in their regard.

 

The case originated with a suspicious transaction to a bank in Monaco, leading to investigation by the FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit) of Monaco, and a subsequent request for legal assistance from Monaco to Norway.

 

The investigation has been extensive and Økokrim has received substantial assistance from foreign authorities, in particular from France and the USA.

 

 

kommunikasjon.okokrim@politiet.no 

(+47) 23 29 10 30 (08.00-15.45)