WIREDGOV

Today, six former employees of commodities giant Glencore appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiring to make corrupt payments to benefit their company’s oil operations in West Africa.

This is the first time that the SFO has announced charges against David Perez, for conspiring to make corrupt payments in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast.

Perez has also been charged in relation to the falsification of invoices to Glencore’s London office marked as service fees to a Nigerian oil consultancy.

Alex Beard, Andrew Gibson, Paul Hopkirk, Ramon Labiaga and Martin Wakefield were charged by the Serious Fraud Office on the 1st August 2024.

All six face charges in relation to the awarding of oil contracts variously spanning Cameroon, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast from 2007 to 2014.

They have been granted unconditional bail, with a hearing set at Southwark Crown Court for the 8th of October.

Director of the Serious Fraud Office, Nick Ephgrave QPM, said:  

“We are committed to exposing corruption and holding those who are responsible to account.

“Bribery damages financial markets and causes lasting harm to communities.”