A coalition of 11 West African NGOs has filed a legal complaint against French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, accusing him of corruption, money laundering and handling stolen goods in the management of lucrative African port concessions.
The allegations, submitted to France’s financial prosecutor’s office, targeted Bolloré SE, its owner Vincent Bolloré via his holding company Compagnie de l’Odet and his son Cyrille Bolloré, the company’s CEO.
It alleged that the business empire exploited political connections to secure major infrastructure deals across the continent, with financial transactions raising serious concerns about illicit activities.
Restitution Afrique (RAF), a collective of anti-corruption organisations operating in Togo, Guinea, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon, has brought forward accusations against the French industrialist.
The lawsuit, filed on March 18, claimed that Bolloré’s operations in Cameroon, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire involved the alleged handling of stolen goods, while Togo and Guinea were allegedly used for money laundering.
At the heart of the controversy was the 2022 sale of Bolloré Africa Logistics to Italian-Swiss shipping giant MSC for €5.7 billion in funds that, according to the NGOs, should be returned to the African nations allegedly exploited by the group’s decades-long stranglehold on regional transport networks.
Until 2022, Bolloré dominated Africa’s logistics infrastructure sector.
“The conditions under which these concessions were granted were highly suspect, with some already recognised as criminal offences,” the complaint alleged.
The NGOs argued that the case could set a legal precedent, challenging the longstanding impunity of multinational corporations — particularly French firms — accused of plundering Africa’s strategic resources and infrastructure.
“These funds should be eligible for restitution to the African nations and peoples concerned, creating a legal precedent against multinationals that fraudulently acquire strategic assets abroad,” the collective declared.
Anti-corruption activist Akere Muna, a member of the collective, described the case as a bold attempt to dismantle systemic corruption.
“This complaint is historic because it targets corruptors,” he told Brussels Signal on March 19.
“Money can’t always go one way. It has to be returned. Many countries are in danger of waking up. The corrupters who have taken over the coffers of our countries are realising that it is time to pay up,” he added.
With this complaint, the NGOs have revealed an objective: To establish, via a court ruling, a mechanism to “reverse ill-gotten gains”. That would,, they hoped, force the Bolloré group to return money acquired in West Africa to the people of Africa. That mechanism was authorised by a French law passed in 2021.
Muna further pointed to Bolloré’s well-documented accusations of undue influence, which allegedly included cultivating close ties with local elites to maintain a firm grip over key infrastructure.
Despite these allegations, Bolloré’s legal team has not commented.
When approached by Brussels Signal, the company’s lawyer, Olivier Baratelli had not replied at the time of writing.
Despite that, Muna said he expected some challenges.
“When you fight corruption, it fights back, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are threats that follow,” he said.
“But we have a very strong team of lawyers who are used to dealing with this type of case,” he added.
