Afrigather Oil buying and selling large Glencore and its former head of oil Alex Beard appeared in a London court docket on Tuesday to face bribery costs referring to the Swiss commodity dealer’s operations in Nigeria and Cameroon.
Beard will plead not responsible, his lawyer stated at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket.
Learn additionally: Nigeria’s fame in focus once more as oil dealer seems earlier than London court docket on bribery costs
The 57-year-old is charged with two counts of conspiracy to make corrupt funds to authorities officers and officers of state-owned oil firms in Nigeria between 2010 and 2014, and in Cameroon between 2007 and 2014.
Beard, who’s probably the most high-profile commodity dealer to have been charged in Britain for alleged corruption, joined Glencore in 1995 from BP, the most important buying and selling desk at the moment, and was head of oil from 2007 till 2019, when he retired.
He helped Glencore change into one of many high three oil buying and selling companies, buying and selling as a lot as 7% of the world’s oil in its heyday.
4 different ex-Glencore workers – Andrew Gibson, Paul Hopkirk, Ramon Labiaga and Martin Wakefield – have been additionally charged with making corrupt funds referring to Glencore’s operations in Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast.
Learn additionally: Glencore’s bribery of Nigerian officers – A timeline of occasions
Gibson and Hopkirk indicated not responsible pleas by means of their legal professionals. Labiaga and Wakefield didn’t point out any pleas and weren’t required to take action.
Gibson and Wakefield are additional charged with conspiracy to falsify paperwork between 2007 and 2011.
One other ex-Glencore worker, David Perez, has been charged with making corrupt funds and conspiracy to falsify paperwork. Perez didn’t point out any pleas.
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy stated the alleged offences associated to the West Africa desk of Glencore’s London workplace.
All six defendants’ instances have been despatched to Southwark Crown Court docket for a listening to on October 8.
