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RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHYD #0961/01 3141542
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 101542Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0435
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 000961 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2019 
TAGS: CM ECON EFIN KCOR PREL
SUBJECT: BANK OF CENTRAL AFRICAN STATES (BEAC) SCANDAL 
INVESTIGATION GATHERS STEAM 
 
REF: A. YAOUNDE 147 
     ¶B. YAOUNDE 608 
     ¶C. LIBREVILLE 467 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Scott Ticknor for reasons 1.4 (d) and (e) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  The Vice-Governor at the Bank of Central 
African States (BEAC) recently summarized to Poloff the 
status of a major corruption investigation.  The corruption 
scandal initially focused on the placement of a dubious 
investment in French bank Societe Generale (Ref A) and led to 
a probe of massive embezzlement at BEAC,s Paris office (Ref 
B) and highly visible arrests in Gabon (Ref C).  The 
malfeasance does not appear to be limited to Gabonese 
officials, but extends to other CEMAC nationals, Moroccans, 
and, possibly, French politicians.  The investigation appears 
to be advancing transparently so far, with French police 
reportedly pursuing leads in Paris and the BEAC posting key 
audit documents on its website.  According to the 
Vice-Governor of BEAC, the new Gabonese BEAC governor is well 
regarded and his appointment will probably lead to the 
eventual rotation of the BEAC governorship.  End Summary. 
 
Air France Vacations and Fraudulent Medevacs 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Posted on the BEAC,s website, independent audit 
reports show that from 2004 to 2008 BEAC Paris officials 
wrote fraudulent checks to Air France for $260,000 worth of 
tickets for 37 people completely unknown and unconnected to 
the BEAC or its business.  The amount of fraudulent expenses 
out of the BEAC,s Paris office budget was approximately four 
times the amount of legitimate withdrawals over the period 
2004 to 2007.  The auditors estimate the BEAC Paris office 
paid more than $6 million for fraudulent &medical 
evacuations.8  In all, over $36 million is believed to have 
been looted from the BEAC,s Paris office by its own 
bureaucrats.  But $36 million may not be the limit of the 
corruption;  the auditors point out they have found 858 
fraudulent checks each over 10,000 Euros, but they have not 
been able to examine the scanned records for checks of less 
than 10,000 Euros. 
 
Web of Embezzlement Not Limited to Gabonese 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) BEAC Vice-Governor Rigobert Roger Andely explained to 
Poloff on November 3 the complicated relationships and 
methods of corruption among the BEAC,s Paris office 
officials.  Producing a list of beneficiaries of fraudulent 
checks, he pointed out the ties between the beneficiaries and 
the Bongo regime, the shell companies, and the shareholders 
behind the companies.  For example, Andely pointed out that 
Jean Pierre Oyimba, the Chief of Staff of Gabonese President 
Ali Bongo Ondimba and recipient of four fraudulent checks 
worth approximately $144,000, is a shareholder in EPM 
Consulting Group, a shell company that was itself the 
recipient of 60 fraudulent checks worth over $1.6 million. 
Other shareholders in the shell company include former BEAC 
accountant Armand Nzamba and Andre Oyini, both members of Ali 
Bongo,s Bateke tribe.  Chair Abdelatif, a Moroccan, 
benefited from 19 fraudulent checks worth over $700,000, a 
demonstration, in Andely,s opinion, of Omar Bongo,s ties to 
Moroccan politics.  He said Mathias Dzon, an opposition party 
leader in Brazzaville, was the beneficiary of five fraudulent 
checks worth approximately $128,000.  Andely reiterated his 
belief that money was funneled into French politics through 
some of these shell corporations and middlemen. 
 
Where Will the Investigation Lead? 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Andely said he feels personally embarrassed about the 
BEAC,s lax accounting controls.  He said he was doing 
everything he could to make sure the scandal was properly 
investigated.  He has insisted all the reports by outside 
auditors, even past reports months old, be placed on the 
BEAC,s website to make the investigation as transparent as 
possible.  He also said that in Paris Captain LeGuen of the 
anti-fraud unit of the French police is actively 
investigating the matter.  He gave poloff copies of LeGuen,s 
letters requesting interviews on November 4 with seven 
alleged offenders, including Maurice Moutsinga, Mathias Dzon, 
Armand Renamy, Jean Pierre Oyiba, and Andre Oyini.  French 
police have also reportedly searched Ndzambe,s Paris 
apartments and seized his assets. 
 
YAOUNDE 00000961  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
New BEAC Governor May Lead to Change in &Fort Lamy8 
Consensus 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶5.  (C) Andely believes Gabon,s appointment of Barro 
Chambrier (Ref C) to fill the remainder of the over five 
years left in Philibert Andzembe,s term is a good move. 
Chambrier is generally regarded as competent and honest, 
according to Andley, who opined that allowing Gabon to 
appoint someone to fill out the term will also probably form 
the basis of a compromise that will result in a rotation of 
the BEAC governorship among the six CEMAC states.  Such a 
solution will alter the so-called &Fort Lamy8 consensus, 
the 1973 agreement on the relationships and powers of the 
CEMAC states that originally allowed BEAC,s headquarters to 
be in Yaounde and the Governorship to be controlled by Gabon. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Embassy Libreville notes that local Gabonese 
newspapers are reporting that Jean-Pierre Oyiba has just 
resigned as Bongo,s Cabinet Director for ðical reasons 
and to preserve the good governance promoted by President 
Bongo.8  Bongo is fully supporting the BEAC investigation 
and there are rumors that more Gabonese BEAC officials will 
be arrested or lose their jobs.  The Alexandre Barro 
Chambrier appointment as Governor is apparently on hold until 
the BEAC heads of state meet later this month. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7.  (C) The BEAC appears to be taking the investigation 
seriously, but its reputation has already been severely 
tarnished and it remains to be seen how committed the BEAC 
country leaders are to a thorough investigation. 
Cameroonians are watching the investigation closely as it 
implicates classic &France-Afrique,8 but so far, no 
significant Cameroonian involvement has been discerned.  The 
French police investigation will be sensational to the 
Cameroonian public, especially if in fact any French 
politicians of note are linked.  Andely,s approval of 
Gabon,s appointment of Chambrier bodes well for the 
institution.  Andely has not been implicated in any 
wrongdoing in the audit reports and appears to be driving an 
honest investigation.  End Comment. 
 
¶8. (U) This message was cleared by Embassy Libreville. 
GARVEY