Six former executives of Glencore, including its ex-head of oil, have denied bribery charges linked to operations in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast. The defendants-Alex Beard, Andrew Gibson, Martin Wakefield, David Perez, Paul Hopkirk, and Ramon Labiaga-pleaded not guilty at Southwark Crown Court on September 10, ahead of their trial set for October 2027. Beard and Gibson joined the other four, who entered similar pleas in November 2024. Three of the group are also charged with falsifying documents for accounting purposes.
The charges stem from an investigation by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, launched in 2019 alongside probes by Swiss, Dutch, and US authorities. The case centers on alleged corrupt payments totaling $28 million made between 2007 and 2014 in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and South Sudan. As a result of the findings, it has faced charges and legal action around the world: in 2022, it pleaded guilty to seven bribery counts in the UK and paid a £280 million penalty. That same year, it settled US charges for $1.187 billion in bribery and commodity manipulation, plus $40 million in Brazil, and paid $180 million to the Democratic Republic of Congo to resolve corruption claims.
Shareholder lawsuits over the scandal’s impact on Glencore’s stock are currently on hold pending the criminal proceedings. Separately, a Dutch holding company linked to Glencore, Fleurette Properties, was fined €25.8 million in March 2025 for bribery in the DRC. Fleurette, tied to sanctioned Israeli businessman Dan Gertler, had close ties with Glencore, including disputed royalty payments in the DRC that drew scrutiny from investigators and activists.
The case reflects broader scrutiny of Glencore’s operations in Africa, where its business dealings have repeatedly drawn regulatory and legal attention. The company’s prior settlements show the scale of allegations, while the pending trial could further clarify the extent of wrongdoing in its oil and mining ventures.
Glencore’s legal battles extend beyond criminal charges. The Aabar Holdings v Glencore shareholder case remains suspended, with outcomes hinging on the resolution of the bribery trial. Meanwhile, the 2018 US sanctions on Gertler, centered on corrupt mining deals, highlight the interconnected nature of these investigations, where offshore entities and cross-border payments remain under examination.