logoBC
Yaoundé - 29 March 2024 -
Companies

Listed in a fraud case in DRC, Afriland group lodged a complaint against its accusers in Paris

Listed in a fraud case in DRC, Afriland group lodged a complaint against its accusers in Paris
  • Comments   -   Tuesday, 07 July 2020 15:06

(Business in Cameroon) - On July 1, 2020, Afriland First Bank Democratic Congo (CD), one of the eleven subsidiaries of the banking group founded by Cameroonian billionaire Paul K. Fokam, lodged a complaint against the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa and British NGO Global Witness.

 "A complaint has been filed in Paris, France, against Global Witness and the PPLAAF about how evidence was gathered in this case. It was filed in the name of the Afriland bank since that is where the files were stolen. We have quite a bit of evidence to suggest that the stolen files were tampered with, and we have some very specific evidence about that. We also have documents that show the very fraudulent way in which some of the testimonies were obtained. So, an investigation is going to be opened and it is essential to shedding light on the way these NGOs work," explained Mr. Moutet, the lawyer appointed by the banking group, on Radio France International (RFI).

The complaint contains a range of charges. These range from theft, forgery, breach of trust, blackmail, private corruption, slanderous denunciation, receiving stolen goods, and breach of banking secrecy. As a reminder, the complaint filed in Paris by the banking group of Cameroonian Paul K. Fokam follows the revelation, a few days ago, of a case of fraud and corruption in which Afriland First Bank CD is expressly listed.

The bank is accused by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa and NGO Global Witness of helping Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler continue operations in DR Congo through an international money-laundering network, despite US government sanctions against him.

"As always, in Congo, it is the financial system that, unfortunately, allows this kind of misdeed. Now, Bank Afriland, which is a subsidiary of a Cameroonian bank, has suddenly gone from being a small bank in the DRC to be one of the largest thanks possibly to Gertler and his trusted men," Gabriel Bourdon Fattal, a member of the PPLAAF, told RFI.

All these accusations are rejected by Afriland First Bank CD, which instead accuses its accusers of having obtained and then tampered with confidential bank documents, probably stolen by two former employees who have now resigned.

Brice R. Mbodiam

eu-pledges-over-cfa12bn-for-entrepreneurship-and-electricity-access-support-in-cameroon
The EU agreed to disburse over CFA12 billion to support growth-driven projects in Cameroon. The two related deals were signed in Yaoundé on March 26...
central-africa-set-for-highest-economic-growth-in-a-decade-amid-inflation-concerns
Growth within the Cemac region is expected to peak at 3.6% this year, according to the estimates of Beac’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which met on...
mtn-cameroon-sees-record-growth-with-cfa325-7bn-revenue-in-2023-amid-market-challenges
MTN Cameroon reported a robust revenue of CFA325.7 billion for 2023. According to data released on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa, this...
cameroon-s-customs-enforces-air-cargo-regulations-threatens-fines-for-non-compliance
Edwin Fongod Nuvaga, the Director-General of Customs in Cameroon, has issued a reminder to airlines about their obligations to comply with standard...

Mags frontpage


Business in Cameroon n110: April 2022

Covid-19, war in Europe: Some Cameroonian firms will suffer


Albert Zeufack: “Today, the most important market is in Asia”


Investir au Cameroun n120: Avril 2022

Covid-19, guerre en Europe : des entreprises camerounaises vont souffrir


Albert Zeufack: « Le marché le plus important aujourd’hui, c’est l’Asie »