Two years ago, Glencore agreed it was involved in several corruption cases related to oil contracts in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Côte d'Ivoire. However, the Swiss company was still facing prosecution in Switzerland for corruption in the mining sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
After a four-year investigation, Swiss authorities have decided to drop the corruption charges against Glencore. The Federal Prosecutor's Office settled with the company, requiring it to pay a fine of 2 million Swiss francs (about $2.34 million) and damages of $150 million.
In a statement dated August 5, 2024, the Swiss Federal Prosecutor wrote that Glencore was convicted of not taking "all reasonable and necessary organizational measures to prevent the bribery of foreign public officials." The alleged bribing happened in 2011–one of Glencore’s business partners had acquired minority stakes in two mining companies in the DRC.
"The MPC stated that it had not identified any Glencore employees with knowledge of the acts of corruption committed by the business partner," Glencore wrote in a separate statement. According to the statement, the firm does not agree with the prosecutor's findings but decided not to appeal to resolve the case.
It is worth noting that Glencore faced similar legal actions in the UK and the US in 2022 regarding corruption in oil contracts in Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, and Cameroon. The firm currently operates two copper and cobalt mines in the DRC.
From Dakar to Nairobi, Kampala to Abidjan, mobile money has become a lifeline for millions of Africa...
Airtel Gabon, Moov sign deal to share telecom infrastructure Agreement aims to cut costs, boo...
• WAEMU posts 0.9% deflation in July, second month in a row• Food, hospitality prices drop; alcohol,...
Malawi votes in high-stakes presidential election Tuesday Economic crisis, inflation dominate vot...
Vision Invest invests $700m in Arise IIP, Africa’s largest private infrastructure deal in 202...
• Ghana faces declining oil production and a $3 billion energy sector debt.• The government and partners will optimize the Offshore Cape Three...
• Senegal obtains a $307 million investment for cold storage infrastructure.• The project is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Agricool.• It...
Trade deficit down to $758.9 mln in Q2 2025 from $867.3 mln a year earlier. Exports dropped 35.6%, while imports declined 20.5%...
Local firms deliver digital solutions for transport, health, and territorial admin. Systems include biometric licenses, hospital records, and local...
Surprisingly, only one African song made it onto Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The track is "Essence," a collaboration...
The Umhlanga Festival, also known as the “Reed Dance,” is one of the most iconic cultural events in the Kingdom of Eswatini in Southern Africa. Every...