"LE GABON ENERVANT" OR "ANNOYING GABON"

English version  A recent report by Gabon's Court of Auditors reportedly brought to light, as part of the audits launched by the government post-2023, major systemic embezzlement concerning the management of public finances. It reportedly involves 1,700 billion CFA francs that appear to have vanished. The Court reportedly identified a massive volume of false debts claimed against the State by various companies. The audits reportedly made it possible to identify and reject hundreds of billions of CFA francs in claims deemed fictitious, unsupported by valid accounting documents, or linked to public contracts that were never actually carried out. The investigations document endemic corruption, characterized by extreme overbilling on infrastructure projects and the diversion of State revenues. The reports point to the porousness between public funds (particularly oil and mining revenues) and the private accounts of senior officials and their relatives. Audits of the State payroll revea...

English version  On July 27, 2026, the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) issued its final indictment request in the Gabonese branch of the ill-gotten gains case, requesting that 23 individuals and legal entities be referred to the Paris criminal court. Five companies, BNP Paribas and four real estate companies, and 18 individuals, including children of Omar Bongo, but also the wife of the current president of Congo, Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, as well as former Miss France Sonia Rolland. French justice estimates at around 85 million euros the real estate assets acquired in France that were financed with embezzled public funds. In this case, 52 fraudulently acquired properties have already been seized. The PNF is requesting that BNP Paribas, under formal investigation since May 2021, be referred for aggravated money laundering, notably of corruption offenses and embezzlement of public funds. The French bank is accused of having allowed the Bongo family and their associates...

English version  Here's the English translation: The Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema International University was inaugurated this Thursday, September 10, 2026, in Cap Estérias, by the person of the same name. But a university is much more than buildings; it's above all about content. So what does this university offer? According to the Gabonese press, this is the first university dedicated to hospitality and tourism, with programs covering hospitality trades, catering, tourism, biodiversity, and management. The campus reportedly has an announced capacity of nearly 4,000 students, with 48 classrooms, a 384-seat auditorium, a library, and 152 student rooms. Other fields of study targeted include digital technology, renewable energy, finance, and education. Initiated in 2008 at the instigation of Omar Bongo Ondimba, the project was halted for nearly fifteen years before being relaunched in 2024. The institution will officially begin operating with the 2026-2027 academic year. This i...