Two Norwegians charged over bribes to Congo-Brazzaville president

Prosecutors in Norway on Monday charged an oil company and two of its executives for allegedly paying millions of dollars in bribes to Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso and his family.

Norwegian police said an investigation was launched after their counterparts in Monaco sought legal assistance related to a suspicious bank transaction.

They say the bulk of the around $25 million dollars was offered to the president and his family in 2016 when the Norway-based oil group applied for an offshore licence

In addition, other bribes were paid in the form of undue advantages and loans, according to the indictment.

The company concerned – Hemla Africa Holding – is a wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian group PetroNor E&P, which is listed on the Oslo stock exchange.

And Sassou Nguesso’s family controls the Congolese company MGI International, which owned 25 per cent of the local company – Hemla E&P Congo – which was granted the licence.

Prosecutors say the two Norwegian executives “ensured that … dividends were regularly paid from Hemla E&P Congo to MGI”.

“Up to and including 2024, this has conferred an advantage of at least $24.68 million to the president through his close family members,” the indictment said.

PetroNor’s share price fell by more than 14 per cent on Monday before recovering some ground. It has denied the allegations.

“The company categorically contests the indictment of Hemla and welcomes the opportunity to have the case thoroughly examined in court,” it said in a statement.

The two Norwegians — identified in media reports as Hemla board members Gerhard Ludvigsen and Knut Sovold — were first arrested in 2021 over the affair.

Initially held custody for two weeks, they were later released. Both have denied the allegations.

Their lawyer Halvard Helle told financial newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv that “cooperating with local partners for licence shares is a totally normal way of organising oil operations around the world”.

Sassou Nguesso has ruled the oil-rich Republic of Congo for more than four decades across two periods.