POLITICS
TOGO – LIBÉ INVESTIGATION: Orion Oil case: alligator shoes, palaces and grands crus… the lavish life of Lucien Ebata
The 53-year-old businessman was spending a fortune from Congolese oil, especially in France. Usually in cash, and without forgetting to sprinkle relatives and dignitaries of the Sassou-Nguesso regime.
Libération reveals the mechanisms of what could be one of the main channels for diverting Congolese oil revenues, from Paris to Brazzaville, Switzerland and Monaco. In question, the company Orion Oil and its boss Lucien Ebata, close to President Denis Sassou-Nguesso and with multiple relations with French economic and political personalities.
“Which car did you get?” On the phone, Lucien Ebata seems lost on 6 December 2016, according to a conversation intercepted by customs investigators. The dealer, based in Paris, laughs and says, “Ben, the one you ordered from us.” The boss of the Orion group no longer remembers which vehicle it is. This is not a used city car, but a white Bentley convertible. The seller reminds in the conversation that there is a balance of 274,435 euros to pay. A straw. The businessman may have a bad memory because he has many vehicles in France at the time: two Land Rover breaks, two Porsche Cayenne, a Bentley Continental, a Mercedes E-Class and a Fiat 500. There’s plenty to lose.
Is Lucien Ebata’s fortune in millions or billions of euros? Mystery. The 53-year-old Canadian-Congolese is not in the ultrarich rankings that Forbes magazine is used to publishing, of which he has a franchise for francophone Africa. In front of an investigating judge, on 20 December 2021, Lucien Ebata assures that his «annual revenues» are between 1 and 5 million euros. These figures seem to be underestimated in light of his delusional lifestyle, which is very well documented in the judicial investigation that has brought him under investigation in France. This is not to say that Lucien Ebata leads the great life, financed with cash which the investigators think comes from an elaborate system of embezzlement of public funds in Congo-Brazzaville. A sophisticated installation that benefits the dignitaries of the regime of Denis Sassou-Nguesso, but also Ebata himself.
When questioned in police custody in October 2021 about possible money laundering, the businessman said, “I refute this analysis.” Contacted by Libération, Lucien Ebata, presumed innocent, replied in the voice of his lawyer, Me Antoine Vey: We deplore the violation of secrecy […]. This disclosure is causing Mr. Ebata and his group significant reputational harm.”
A round addition of 5,594 euros
In Paris, one of Orion’s boss’s favorite shops is the Zilli clothing store, near the Champs-Elysées. Invoices attest that more than €235,000 was spent in 2011 and 2012 – in cash. On 8 December 2011, he made a raid on the shelves, making a single visit of 38,000 euros to buy costumes, shirts, pants and a pair of alligator shoes for 3,600 euros.
For his Parisian meals, Lucien Ebata enjoys the cuisine of the Laurent, a luxury restaurant in the 8th arrondissement. On 31 May 2012, in the company of ten guests, he made it out with a plump 5,594 euro bill, paid in cash. The menu is of the finest: foie gras, langoustines, turbot sections, lobsters, pigtails, all sprinkled with a castle of Yquem 1961 and a Mouton Rothschild at 1 150 euros each.
In Paris, where his wife and children live, Orion’s boss does not own real estate. It is owned in other countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Spain, South Africa… This wealth amounts to several million euros, according to traces of banking transactions found by investigators. In Paris, he lived for a long time on rue Beaujon, near the Arc de Triomphe, for a monthly rent of 5,500 euros. The family then moved to Avenue Marceau, near the Champs-Elysées. During the search of his home in May 2017, the judicial customs discovered that the businessman particularly liked luxury watches. They found nine, including Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Chopard and Dior. They were estimated by an expert who established a range of 38,200 to 56,850 euros for the whole.
A hotel bill of 493,000 euros
To travel, Lucien Ebata uses private planes in a frantic way. In a note dated 22 June 2017, Tracfin, Bercy’s financial intelligence service, notes that Jet Monde has invoiced the various companies of the businessman for nearly 7 million euros of services in the previous three years. Lucien Ebata does not enjoy this extravagant life alone: he has a large circle of relatives, friends and collaborators, as well as a network of Congolese officials, relations to cherish for the preservation of his business and his status. A whole small world that appreciates Parisian palaces. French investigators have collected from the Peninsula, the businessman’s favorite hotel, huge bills in his name or those of his closest. Published on 14 July 2017 after the one and a half month occupancy of two rooms – including the 111, one of the most expensive suites – one of them amounts to 493,000 euros.
One of Orion’s boss’s most recurring and expensive guests is certainly former Congo Finance Minister Calixte Nganongo. Between 2016 and 2018, while he was a member of the government, he was entitled to sixty nights of all expenses paid in the most beautiful establishments, for a total of 278,000 euros. This central figure of the Brazzaville regime, former leader of the National Oil Society of Congo, has all the attentions of Ebata. Shortly after Nganongo was appointed to the government in May 2016, the businessman ordered 60,500 euros worth of leather goods and footwear from him in a boutique on the Champs-Elysées. For the occasion, the saleswoman was sent to Brazzaville to take the size of the minister. Was it a gesture intended to secure the good graces of the great fundraiser? “It is possible that when Mr. Nganongo [became] Minister of Finance, he approached me for the Board.
Source : Libération
POLITICS
SENEGAL Moussa Tine: “We launch a solemn appeal to the diaspora for the International Exhibition of Investment of the African Diaspora – SIDIA
Exclusive interview with Moussa Tine, the Director General of Urbanism and Habit. From September 26 to 28, 2025, at the Domaine de Choully, Africa – and particularly Senegal goes to meet its diaspora. For three days, the event will bring together several hundred entrepreneurs, including 30 from Senegal, investors, policy makers and artists. It is an unprecedented exhibition that brings together strategic sectors such as housing, agriculture, but also industry and commerce.
Why involve the diaspora and why organize this International Diaspora Investment Fair? Why this fair?
This exhibition today is a moment of exchange, an indispensable meeting point for government policy and particularly the policy of these three sectors, namely housing, construction, agriculture, industry and commerce. It is these three ministries that bring together their strategies, their strengths, to go out to meet the diaspora. The diaspora plays a decisive, extremely important role in the country’s economy and in its socio-economic stability. It is an important moment, a decisive moment, a moment that will also help us to financially complete a number of projects that are underway, but also to give the opportunity to the nationals of the diaspora to contribute to the development of their country. Each ministry today develops projects and this fair is an opportunity to give the diaspora the necessary information, either to integrate these projects or to collaborate with the State in the context of public-private partnerships or direct investments under the auspices of the State. Here is, in a global manner, the object of the exhibition. Today, this the exhibition is a decisive moment, an important one, with challenges defined across the three sectors I have just mentioned.
Thus, what is the economic weight of the diaspora?
The weight of the diaspora is well established. Today, it plays a decisive role in our economy. The diaspora is strong and economically involved, not only in a family way, but also through local and international initiatives. Therefore, involving the diaspora means redefining its role in a strategic way, which must no longer be limited to family support but contribute directly to the development of the country. This can be done through financial investment projects through programmes structured by the Ministry of Urban Planning, Local Authorities and Spatial Planning. I take the example of the PNALRU (National Program for Access to Housing), a project designed and led by the Ministry of Urbanism. We know that most of our fellow citizens in the diaspora have a house or housing project because they want to invest in their home. But often, they do not have the necessary information to do it in a secure way, nor quality support. Projects like the PNALRU offer a secure framework at the level of land, construction, but also marketing, in a transparent manner. These are projects that the State has implemented and which allow the diaspora to have easier access to land, and to participate directly in the national economy. The diaspora complains about not having enough information on state initiatives. This exhibition is a way to reach out to her, to provide as much information as possible about ongoing projects and integration modalities. We know that a part of the diaspora already has the initiative to return or to work in collaboration with the State. This show will therefore be a B2B meeting, a space where the diaspora and the State will be able to meet, establish collaborative relationships, and create what I often call a “return ticket”, that is to say an opportunity for many Senegalese to prepare for a secure and planned return.
Mr. Director, what is the direct message you send to the diaspora, especially to that of Geneva, because the exhibition will take place there?
Yes, the exhibition will be held in Geneva. This choice does not come by chance. Geneva is a financial capital and a business hub. Organizing it there highlights a decisive point in the outcome of projects: the financial dimension and the technical dimension. The objective is that from this exhibition, not only do we provide the necessary information to the diaspora, but also that we mobilize its capital to encourage it to invest in real estate, agriculture and industry. Each ministry will present development projects that the diaspora can appropriate, whether in housing, agriculture or industry. These sectors are linked: industry supports habitat, habitat needs building materials, and agriculture requires infrastructure. This sectoral transversality will allow for maximum opportunities to be created for the diaspora. In Geneva, for three days, we will have exchanges, panels, permanent exhibitions (more than 30 planned), and B2B meetings between the state, professionals, the diaspora, and the private sector. The aim is to mobilize investors, experts and promoters to implement joint projects.
Who are the partners of this project?
In Senegal, we have the Ministry of Urbanism, Territorial Collectivities and Spatial Planning, which leads, with the Ministries of Industry and Trade, and Agriculture as co-organizers. We also work in partnership with Me Events, a structure specialized in the organization of events, and with partners in Geneva, such as the African Village Association and Afrique Néon.
Mr. Director, to conclude, what message do you want to send to the Senegalese in the diaspora?
I take this opportunity to make a solemn appeal to all our fellow citizens of the diaspora. This exhibition is made for you. Its objective is clear: to mobilize the diaspora, not only for its expertise, but also for its investments. Invest in yourself. Invest in Senegal. Invest in Africa. This fair is yours, make it your own, and make it a channel for communication and development. The success of this exhibition will be the success of the national policy towards the diaspora. Senegal comes to you, your country comes to you, in order to discuss your projects and those we develop here. Come in large numbers, because together we can ensure inclusive development where every contribution counts. Thank you and I hope to see you very soon at the Geneva exhibition, from September 26 to 28.
Initially scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the major march of the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire – African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA), the main opposition party in Côte d’Ivoire, will finally take place on Saturday, June 14, 2025. This postponement was announced by the party’s Executive Secretary, who points out that the decision came after discussions between the PDCI leadership and the authorities of the Abidjan department. The details of these discussions have not been made public.
This demonstration, highly anticipated by the party’s activists and supporters, aims to support the candidacy of its president, Tidjane Thiam, in the presidential election of 2025, and to protest against his removal from the electoral list. A decision that the party qualifies as unfair and unacceptable, arguing for the right of all Ivorian citizens, including those with dual nationality, to participate in the political life of the country.
The route of the march remains unchanged: the protesters will leave from the SOCOCE space of the 2 Plateaux, in the municipality of Cocody, to head towards the headquarters of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). The party calls for a strong peaceful mobilization in order to convey a clear message: demand inclusive, transparent and peaceful elections.
The removal of Tidjane Thiam and other opposition figures is mainly based on the issue of dual nationality, a legal provision that continues to be debated as the election approaches. The PDCI, which sees in Thiam a rally candidate capable of unifying the Ivorians, intends to make this march a highlight of its campaign and its democratic fight.
Photo credit: Tidiane Thiam page
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Morissanda Kouyaté, received this Sunday, June 1, 2025 in Conakry a delegation from the African Union, on an official visit to Guinea. On this occasion, he reaffirmed the commitment of the transitional authorities to respect the deadlines set for the return to constitutional order, while stressing the historical and central role of Guinea in the construction of the Pan-African project.
« I am very happy. The African Union is at Guinea’s side to accompany and support the vision of the head of state, President Mamadi Doumbouya, in favor of Guinea and Africa, in the political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural fields, declared the head of Guinean diplomacy.
This meeting takes place in a context marked by the preparations for the constitutional referendum scheduled for next September 21.
Morissanda Kouyaté also recalled the founding involvement of Guinea in the creation of the Organization of African Unity, which became the African Union. “This visit materializes the commitment of the Peace and Security Council to accompany Guinea in a dynamic of ambitious political and diplomatic transformation,” he stressed.
The minister indicated that all actions related to the transition are currently funded by the national development budget, while calling for a broader mobilization of the international community. “We have requested a round table, called the Basketfront, to seek support to speed up the process. But this does not mean that we will give up,” he said, reiterating President Doumbouya’s willingness to scrupulously respect the scheduled deadlines.
He finally wanted to reassure on the efforts made to ensure an inclusive electoral process. “We are going through a difficult period, and that is why we want all Guineans to be registered in order to obtain a reliable electoral roll,” concluded Morissanda Kouyaté.
Source: guinee360 / Photo credit: Page Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guinea
