Norway Police File Charges Over Suspected Oil Bribery in Congo Republic

Congo’s government dismissed reports linking Nguesso and his entourage to alleged corruption in the awarding of oil licences, saying in a statement on Tuesday that no legal proceedings target the government.

The government condemned “interpretations,” “allusions” and “shortcuts” that harmed the honour and reputation of the head of state and his associates without an established legal basis, the statement said.

It added that Nguesso and members of his circle were not the subject of prosecution, investigation or a court decision in the case, and it noted that judicial authorities involved had acknowledged they had no jurisdiction over them.

Part of the investigation has been closed “due to lack of sufficient evidence,” according to the statement.

Offshore Licence

The accused company, Hemla Africa Holding AS, is a fully owned indirect subsidiary of Oslo-listed oil group PetroNor and controls a 20 percent stake in the offshore PNGF Sud licence via Hemla E&P Congo.

PetroNor said in a statement it categorically contested the indictment and welcomed the chance to have the case examined in court. The company’s share price was down 10.5 percent as of 1516 GMT on Tuesday.

MGI International, which was controlled by the president’s family, was given a 25 percent stake in Hemla E&P Congo, and MGI received dividends of close to $25 million between 2018 and 2024, according to the indictment seen by Reuters.

Other payments took place in parallel with the application for the oil licence in Congo, investigators said.

Hemla co-founders Knut Soevold and Gerhard Ludvigsen, who will stand trial alongside the company, denied any criminal guilt and will defend themselves “with full force,” their lawyers Halvard Helle and Arild Dyngeland said in a statement.

“All agreements with the Congolese company are made on commercial terms and purely commercial considerations, and have nothing to do with corruption,” the lawyers said.

Soevold stepped down from the position of PetroNor CEO in 2021 after a police raid in the case on the company’s premises.

Norway has no jurisdiction over the individuals who received the payments and no consideration has been made of any criminal liability on their part, the police said.

The PNGF Sud licence lies in shallow waters about 25 km (15 miles) off the coast, and encompasses several producing fields. It is operated by Perenco, an independent Anglo-French oil company.

Perenco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sassou first came to power in 1979 and ruled until he lost Congo’s first multi-party elections in 1992, before returning to office in 1997 after a civil war.