A coalition of 11 anti-corruption NGOs from six African states, operating as the ‘Restitution for Africa’ (RAF), has filed a complaint with France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office against French billionaire Vincent Bolloré; his son, Cyrille; and the Bolloré Group. They seek $6.2 billion. The coalition alleged that the accused unlawfully acquired and profited from corrupt port agreements across the continent.
The NGOs, funded by Congolese banker and whistleblower Jean-Jacques Lumumba and German NGO Transparency International, argue that Bolloré’s profitable port concessions facilitated its $6.2 billion sale to the Swiss-Italian shipping company Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC). The plaintiffs are demanding they return proceeds from this sale to African communities in accordance with a 2021 French law that permits the redistribution of seized assets from corruption cases to the affected countries.
In a 2021 case, Bolloré’s media company agreed to pay a $14.5 million fine for charging below-market advertising rates to presidents campaigning for election in Togo and Guinea in exchange for lucrative port management contracts.
This situation underscores the neocolonialist tactics employed by European companies, which leverage their power to extract profits from their African ventures, often at the cost of indigenous communities. Ordinary African people frequently work for low wages while excluding local businesses from the opportunity to compete for contracts.
Would the NGOs winning the Bolloré case establish a precedent that prevents foreign entities from exploiting Africa without restraint?
Sources
https://www.ft.com/content/7d7c20b1-3723-4d0f-9718-37964ff5aa83