• Gabon considers agency to strengthen asset recovery efforts

• Proposal targets illicit financial flows, financial crime enforcement

• Plan includes legal reforms aligned with international standards

Gabon is considering creating a national agency for asset recovery. The proposal was put forward at the second conference of the Libreville Public Prosecutor’s Office, held on April 3-4.

The initiative aims to strengthen the country’s capacity to combat illicit financial flows and financial crime. It was developed during a meeting where magistrates, lawyers, notaries, financial experts and security forces reviewed legal tools to detect, freeze, seize and confiscate assets derived from criminal activity.

The discussions resulted in a strategic roadmap to address gaps in the current system. “We reviewed the legal framework and the mechanisms available under Gabonese and international law for asset recovery,” said Roger Darnel Nguema Ondo, Gabon’s public prosecutor.

Key recommendations include expanding the prosecutor’s powers to strengthen its role in financial investigations. Participants also stressed the need to align the national legal framework with international standards, particularly those of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Central Africa Anti-Money Laundering Action Group. FATF standards target money laundering and terrorist financing, notably through transparency requirements and asset confiscation. In Central Africa, these standards are implemented by the regional body.

The conference also provided an opportunity to share experiences with foreign partners. Claire Le Maner, a deputy prosecutor at France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office, presented French practices in combating financial crime. The initiative is part of broader efforts to strengthen judicial governance in Gabon.

In 2025, Gabon ranked fourth in Africa and eighth globally among countries most exposed to money laundering, according to the Basel AML Index. The country faces structural challenges, particularly in the mining sector, where its risk score exceeds 6.08.

Carelle Yourann