Vincent Bolloré, famous French billionaire, was recently indicted for corruption of a foreign public official as part of an investigation into the attribution of the port of Lomé to Togo. A case that is causing a lot of talk and which continues to make waves.
The story dates back to 2013, when Parisian financial judges began to suspect the Bolloré group of having used the activities of its subsidiary Euro RSCG (now Havas) to fraudulently obtain management of the port of Lomé. They accuse the group of having corrupted the Togolese authorities with the aim of favoring its subsidiary Bolloré Africa Logistics (formerly SDV) during Faure Gnassingbé’s presidential campaign.
In 2018, Vincent Bolloré was indicted, but the story took a surprising turn in 2021 when he chose to plead guilty and admit his guilt for corruption. As part of an appearance on prior admission of guilt, he offers to pay a fine of 375,000 euros to avoid a criminal trial. However, the Parisian judges refused to approve this guilty plea, considering that his presumption of innocence had been tainted by his own confessions.
The procedure therefore continues and Vincent Bolloré appeals the decision. Although he did not obtain the total annulment of the procedure, he still managed to have certain documents removed from the file thanks to his appeal request. However, the Court of Cassation maintains his indictment and officially recognizes that his presumption of innocence has been met.
Vincent Bolloré’s lawyer welcomes this recognition and now plans to pursue appeals before the European courts. He is determined to prove his client’s innocence and have the entire proceeding overturned.
This affair raises many questions about the practices of the Bolloré group and corruption in the field of international business. It highlights the issues surrounding the award of public contracts and the influence of large companies on political decisions.
It remains to be seen how this affair will evolve and what the consequences will be for Vincent Bolloré and the Bolloré group. In the meantime, it continues to make headlines and fuel debates around business ethics and the fight against corruption.