By Euronews
Published on
Norwegian prosecutors have charged two citizens and a Norwegian-based oil company with paying around $25 million (€21.1m) in bribes to the Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso and his family in exchange for offshore drilling rights.
The alleged corruption centred on a 2016 oil licence application in which the defendants offered Sassou Nguesso and his relatives a quarter-share of the concession’s revenues, prosecutor Marianne Djupesland said Monday.
“The main bribe is related to the fact that the Norwegians accepted that the president and his family would have one quarter of the income from the sale of oil that the licence awarded to Hemla generated,” Djupesland said, referring to the Norwegian company involved.
The charges represent one of the most significant corruption cases linking a Western firm to an African head of state in recent years.
Sassou Nguesso, 82, has ruled the oil-rich Central African nation for more than four decades across two separate periods. He first took power in 1979 and governed until 1992, then returned to office in 1997 following a civil war and has remained president since.
The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville — not to be confused with its much larger neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — produces approximately 268,000 barrels of oil per day according to 2025 data.
Petroleum accounts for roughly two-thirds of the country’s GDP and nearly all export revenues, making the sector critical to the economy.
International watchdogs have long criticised lack of transparency in Congo’s oil industry. Multiple members of Sassou Nguesso’s family have faced money laundering investigations in France, including his son Denis Christel and daughter Julienne, who were charged over luxury properties purchased with suspected embezzled state funds.
Norway, one of the world’s largest oil producers, has strict anti-corruption laws that apply to Norwegian citizens and companies operating abroad. The country’s sovereign wealth fund, built on petroleum revenues, has established itself as a leader in ethical investment standards.
Norwegian authorities did not immediately identify the two individuals or provide details about the company’s operations in Congo. The charges follow what prosecutors described as a lengthy investigation into the oil licence award.
If convicted, the defendants could face substantial prison sentences and fines under Norwegian law, which criminalises both the offering and acceptance of bribes in international business transactions.
The Republic of the Congo has not commented on the charges. Sassou Nguesso’s government has previously denied corruption allegations while maintaining that the country’s petroleum sector operates in accordance with international standards.
Additional sources • AFP