The billionaire Vincent Bolloré, President of Bolloré group has just been taken into custody by the French justice, for an investigation on the conditions of concessions granted to his group in several African ports.

The transport and logistics tycoon was reportedly taken into custody with two other executives of the group as part of a judicial investigation mainly for “corruption of foreign public officials”.

According to information relayed by Le Monde, the conditions of the concessions granted on ports of Lomé (Togo) and Conakry (Guinea) in 2010 would be the main reason for this judicial investigation.

Indeed, Bolloré group is suspected of having facilitated the election of Guinean President Alpha Condé, and the re-election of Togolese Head of State Faure Gnassingbé in 2010, through its communication subsidiary Havas, headed by Jean-Philippe Dorent (also taken in custody). Therefore, the French justice wants to know whether, in return, the two leaders would have ceded to the French group the management of Lomé and Conakry container terminals.

This warning comes in a delicate context for this company which was recently rejected by the Beninese justice in the framework of its major Benin-Niger railway project.

Let’s recall that in 2016, the French judicial police had already searched the company’s headquarters and seized numerous documents.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou (intern)