French Prosecutors Seek Trial of Bongo Family and BNP Paribas over Fraudulent Gabonese Property Deals
The French National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) has asked the Paris criminal court to refer 23 persons and entities for trial. The list comprises five BNP Paribas subsidiaries, four French real‑estate companies and 18 individuals, among them several children of the late Gabonese president Omar Bongo, Antoinette Sassou Nguesso – the wife of the current president of the Republic of the Congo – and former Miss France Sonia Rolland. Investigators say the suspects acquired 52 French properties with money diverted from Gabonese public funds through a network of cash transfers, shell companies and corrupt intermediaries linked to the historic “Françafrique” system and the Elf affair. BNP Paribas is accused of facilitating the laundering of at least €35 million between 1996 and 2008 for the Bongo family and associates. The case was opened after Transparency International filed a complaint in late 2010, and the seized assets are now part of the prosecution’s evidence.
Entities: Antoinette Sassou Nguesso · BNP Paribas · French National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) · Omar Bongo · Sonia Rolland
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Investigators have seized 52 properties linked to the alleged fraud. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The individuals also include Sonia Rolland, former Miss France 2000. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The French National Financial Prosecutor requested the referral of BNP Paribas and 22 other persons or entities to the Paris criminal court. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Among the individuals are several children of former Gabonese president Omar Bongo. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The investigation was launched after Transparency International filed a complaint in late 2010. (All three articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The request covers 23 persons or entities: five BNP Paribas subsidiaries, four real‑estate companies and 18 individuals. (All three articles)
- [● 2 SOURCES] BNP Paribas is accused of facilitating the laundering of at least €35 million between 1996 and 2008 for the Bongo family and associates. (Articles 2 and 3)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The individuals also include Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, wife of the President of the Republic of the Congo. (All three articles)