Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Gabon actu
Published on 2024-03-20 21:57:30
The soldiers who seized power from the Bongo family on August 30, 2023, announced in a statement on Wednesday that they will launch a general audit of the Delta Synergy Holding in the coming days, a kind of safe where all the economic investments of the Bongo family were kept.
“The CTRI announces the launch in the coming days of a general audit, financial, technical, real estate, and movable of the Delta Synergy Holding,” indicates the statement from the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI), the military body that is leading Gabon alongside the government.
“The managers, administrators, and all individuals directly or indirectly related to this organization are invited to make themselves available to the services responsible for carrying out this operation by providing all the relevant documentation when the time comes,” the statement read by CTRI spokesperson, Colonel Ulrich Manfoumbi Manfoumbi, emphasized.
The statement highlights that this is about the “reappropriation by the State and the Gabonese people of their material assets.”
Mysterious and without a real identifiable headquarters in the capital, the Delta Synergy Holding resembles a fairy tale whose mere mention ignites imagination. According to a documentary by the French television channel France 2, 18% of Total Gabon’s oil revenues were allegedly paid to the Bongo family via Delta Synergy. These data are ingrained in the collective memory of Gabon.
Oil is not the only sector from which the holding receives dividends. It has stakes in several sectors, such as banks and insurance, industrial sector, mining sector, agribusiness, among others.
Following the death of patriarch Omar Bongo Ondimba, the Delta Synergy Holding reportedly lost its influence. The disputes among the heirs of the former president, who governed Gabon with an iron fist for 41 years (1967-2009), led to the collapse of the organization. Ali Bongo Ondimba, the “heir” to his father’s throne, faced resistance from his siblings when he tried to take control of the “safe.”
Ali Bongo, frustrated, decided to neutralize the holding. Financial flows during his two terms (2009-2023) allegedly moved through new corridors, particularly in London and Singapore.
Several companies under the holding’s control were ostracized or pushed into bankruptcy. As a result, the holding is reportedly now less wealthy than during the peak years of Omar Bongo.
– Carl Nsitou
Read the original article(French) on Gabon Actu
