The golden boys of the Sassou Nguesso Kleptocracy:Alexis Vincent Gomez,Paul Obambi,Lucien Ebata

Paul Obambi: Azur Telecom

The presidential family or the ruling Nguesso family is also into the Telecommunication sector through one of their best known businessman: Paul Obambi. Mr Obambi is the majority shareholder of a Mobile telephony company: Azur Telecom. This company that Cendrine Sassou Nguesso is also a shareholder is headed by the younger brother of Mr Obambi by name Jean Bruno Obambi, a graduate of HEC in Montreal, Canada. Azur Telecom is not only present in Congo; she has subsidiaries in Gabon and Central Africa Republic. Mr Obambi is not only in the mobile telephony business, he is also into advertising, mining and oil sectors. He is also the owner of Congo Oil in the DRC. Although Paul Obambi staunchly refuses that his success is attached to his proximity to President Sassou Nguesso, many people that, I spoke to before writing this book has a contrary view. They all confirmed to me that Paul Obambi is fronting for President Denis Sassou Nguesso.  However all those who made the revelation or confirmed the claims did not want to be named publicly for fear of retaliation.

Alexis Vincent Gomez

While Paul Obambi operates in several sectors within the Congolese economy, the other golden boy of the system is Alexis Vincent Gomez. As his profile has indicated earlier, he is a lawyer and real estate mogul. Many people that I interviewed for this book confirmed to me that, Alexis Vincent Gomez was fronting for Mrs. Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, but like Paul Obambi, he has rejected any accusations of his supposed links with Antoinette Sassou Nguesso or any other member of the ruling Nguesso family. The other reality in Congo is that, without any proximity with members of the ruling Nguesso family, it is almost impossible to do business in the country. Most Lebanese and West African businessmen operating in Congo will back the latter claims. They (West African businessmen) can’t operate without the backing of one or more members of the ruling Nguesso family. Some West African and Lebanese businessmen do boast that, their businesses are either a cover for one of the Nguessos or for some influential persons within the system. They are no longer afraid to tell anybody who cares to listen that, they are doing business with the support of the ruling family. The Nguessos don’t have investments only in Congo. Some of their supports have invested massively out of Congo. The cases of Paul Obami with his mobile phone company present in Gabon and Central African Republic and Willy Etoka who has investments in Congo, Morocco, France and the United States. In the US, Willy Etoka has invested in a property at Potomac and McDonalds franchises. The rise of Willy Etoka from rag to richest would have been wonderful and also a source of inspiration to many poor and better educated Congolese if it was really the fruit of hard work. He was formerly a used tire merchant around Miadeka Street in Brazzaville and today he is the 10^th richest man in French-speaking Africa with a presidential ambition because he is fronting for Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso.

Lucien Ebata

Orion Oil, owned by Lucien Ebata is based in neighbouring DRC, precisely in Kinshasa. Orion Oil also has offices in Canada and Switzerland. Lucien Ebata is perhaps the top among the golden boys fronting for the Nguesso ruling family that I know personally besides Paul Obambi.  I had the opportunity while in Congo Brazzaville to interview him twice for my TV programme, La Grande Interview broadcast on MNTV. How he became rich is equally a fairytale comparable to that of Willy Etoka, earlier mentioned. My investigations have revealed that, in spite all the stories that are officially narrated as being the source of his wealth; the truth is that, the Nguesso families are the ones who have propelled him to the pinnacle of African business. However, what I was not able to pinpoint clearly, was who was his connecting man or woman within the Nguesso family. Some people I spoke with claimed that, he was working for Edgard Nguesso, while others claim that, he was working for Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso. Whatever the case, Lucien Ebata is not a self made business man as he would want the world to think he is, but a product of a corrupt system. He is one of the many conduits through which the ruling Nguesso family uses to siphon out of the country, funds generated from the sale of Congolese crude oil. Lucien Ebata is a brilliant businessman who has decided to diversify his business by going into the media. He has bought the franchise for French-speaking black Africa of the American magazine: Forbes. The French-speaking edition or Forbes franchise for Africa is known as Forbes Afrique and it has become a platform under which the ruling party uses to launder it image at home and abroad by organizing conferences for media professionals and for spent out politicians from western democracies: Guy Verhostadt, Pierre Raffarin, Dominique de Villepin or Vincente Fox to give themselves a semblance of political rejuvenation. It was through Forbes Afrique that Willy Etoka, one of the creatures of the system was exposed as the 10^th richest person in French-speaking Africa.  

Congo Brazzaville: Straw men of the regime

In every corrupt system and not to mention a Kleptocracy, those benefiting from the system most often do not have the expertise to manage their wealth or investments. They are either unqualified or woefully incompetent or both in some sad cases. And sometimes in order not to attract attention, beneficiaries of Kleptocracies most often chose to hide or operate through straw men and women. This way they hope, they can best dissimulate their loot. In Congo, those helping the ruling Nguesso family to siphon state funds are an intractable web of mostly “strange” men whose opaque business successes are always glamorized in their state media and alleged private media. However among the tentacle of straw men of the Nguessos, those who standouts are: Denis Gokana, Paul Obambi, Willy Etoka, Vincent Gomez and Lucien Ebata. Some of them: Paul Obambi and Vincent Gomez, have been profiled in this book (See who is who in Congo).  The list of straw men or women working on behalf of the Kleptocratic family latter mentioned is not an exhaustive. But at least, those mentioned are present in strategic areas of the Congolese economy.

Pierre Cardin Communist

Officially, Denis Sassou Nguesso, in strict respect to his communist ideology doesn’t want to own any colossal property, at least, officially. And he also pretends not to have amassed wealth. In fact, he claims to lead a frugal life style. But the reality is different. He is referred to as a “Pierre Cardin Communist” because of his taste for French designer suits and also the recent disclosures of his excesses and those of his children by anti corruption NGOs based in London and Paris such as Global Witness, Sherpa and Transparency International. He is also accused of having amassed enormous fortune in foreign banks. While I don’t dispute the preceding claims, I would like to focus on what I have found out during my investigations in Congo. 

Sectors they control

Revelations were made to me by people who are around the president, but who won’t want to be named. They reveled to me that: Denis Sassou Nguesso besides officially being involved in farming and animal husbandry, he is unofficially involved in publishing through his firm known as Agence d’information de l’afrique Central abbreviated ADIAC. This company owns one of the most modern printing presses in the country besides that of Ayessa Printing Press, owned by Maurice Nguesso. ADIAC is the publisher of the only daily in the country: Les Depeches de Brazzaville. This simply means that, the first publishers in the country are Denis and Maurice Nguesso.

 Covered up

ADIAC media group is managed by a French journalist called Jean Paul Pigasse. In order to make sure that all traces of his investments are well covered up and is not challenged by any forms of internal competition; he has maneuvered for the national printing press to be run aground. Hence the national daily: La Nouvelle Republique has become a sporadic publication, while his daily, Les Depeches de Brazzaville blossoms with regular publications. In destroying both the national printing press and the national daily, Sassou Nguesso is certain that, Les Depeches de Brazzaville will remain the only daily in the country promoting his regime and his printing Press winning all other deals. Besides being into the media/publishing, the president is also into the banking sector through a straw man.

Congo Brazzaville: La Republique du MABOBA or Eat, Drink and Sex

DRC & Cameroon

Whereas in the DRC, youths have famous musical stars such as Koffi Olumide, Faly Ipupa or a businessman such as Moise Katumbi to copy from or take as role models and in Cameroon, youths also have a football star such as Samuel Eto’o or businessman such as Baba Danpulou to look after or consider as role models, but in Congo it is different.

Congo Brazzaville: a unique place

However, as earlier mentioned, it will be unfair for me to claim that, Congolese youths are disproportionately lazy or that, the country doesn’t have endogenous businessmen or cultural stars for youths to look up to as role models. Congo being a unique place, its famous musician currently, Rogatien Ibambi aka Roga-Roga is famous according to Congo Brazzaville standard, but supported or promoted by Jean Dominique Okemba. Its known businessmen: Paul Obambi (see profile) and Vincent Gomez (see profile), are front men for politically connected leaders, even though they are in denial. Even the youthful, Veron Mankou, who claimed to have created the first African smart-phone and who now promotes of Vox TV and Vox magazine, is supported by Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso. This simply means that, most of those who could have provided an alternative are not really inspirations out of the political box. Instead their success help perpetuate  the generally held notions that, politics, especially supporting the ruling Nguesso family, holds the key to success for men and  for Congolese women and girls, getting married to an old baron of the ruling party or prostitution are the only paths to success.

General overview: La Republique du MABOBA

My perception of Congo is that, it has become like Cuba during the reign of Fulgencio Batista. It is the paradise of leisure and pleasure with it unique trademark: La Republique du MABOBA: Manger, Boire et Baiser or in English: Eat, Drink and Sex.  It is a trademark that most political and economic leaders connected to the ruling PCT party are proud sell to their guests. This is also the only country in the world where government ministers are proud to claim that, all their country can offer are: Eat, Drink and Sex. This will be developed at the conclusion of this book. Besides the above, the country has also become the land of hypocrisy and a strange kind of flattery, which are mixtures between French good manners and strange Congolese traditions. It is also the land whose current leadership has made a travesty of all Congolese and African cultural values. In Congo, as you will read later on, adults seldom grow old, hence matured men refused to be referred to as “fathers.” They prefer to be called “Grand frère” or elder brother. 

ALEXIS VINCENT GOMEZ: Profile of a poor boy turn International lawyer and real estate Mongul

ALEXIS VINCENT GOMEZ:  from Jeans seller to billionaire in FCFA

He was also born in the populous neighborhood of Poto-poto, located north of Brazzaville, the capital of Congo. Alexis Vincent Gomez is also known as a Sassou Nguesso created millionaire by his detractors.  For it is believed that, he is also playing the same role like Paul Obambi, another alleged Sassou Nguesso created millionaire. While Paul Obambi is an economist by profession, Alexis Vincent Gomes is a lawyer by profession. The only thing that, both new generation Congolese businessmen have in common is their proximity with the President of the Republic and his wife. He is a very simple man, who has not forgotten where he comes from. When I met him in 2013, he was 58 year old and that night, he was spending time with some of his childhood friends in a popular bar in Poto-poto called Espace Feignond. He does that regularly whenever he is in Brazzaville. To him, Poto-poto is his Israel or promise land. However, if you want to talk serious business with Alexis Vincent Gomez who is also the Governor of Lions Club, it is in Diosso, a locality situated some 23km from Pointe Noire, the economic capital of Congo. The city of Pointe Noire is the most populated and the richest in Congo and it is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Congo’s second city financially and economically is not Brazzaville, but Ouesso.  Mr Gomez is not only a simple man as already mentioned, he is also a bright international lawyer and also a formidable businessman. He has invested in real estates in Congo, France and in the United States. His investments or properties are estimated according to him to stand at FCFA 1 billion in Congo, France and in the United States.

While Vincent Gomez could be loquacious, he becomes taciturn when he is asked to explain how he became a billionaire. For like Paul Obambi, he is also suspected to be a straw man or fronting for the Presidential family and precisely the wife of the President of Congo, Mrs. Antoinette Sassou Nguesso. It is an allegation that he roundly rejects and instead says that, he is what he is today because of hard work and also because of the help that, he got from one Raymond Obadiah.  In the words of Vincent Gomez, his story is a classic case of a poor boy becoming rich or from rag to riches. Mr Obadiah, the mentor of Alexis Vincent Gomez, he claims, was a Jewish merchant whom he met at the Strasbourg Saint Denis market in Paris. Mr Gomez adds that, he knew Mr Raymond Obadiah because, he frequented the Strasbourg Saint Denis market in Paris where he bought jean pants that he sold back in Brazzaville, when he was on vacation. He also told me that, Raymond Obadiah, who was a wholesale merchant, gave him packages of jeans pants on loan and he only paid him back after selling them. Another lining of the admiration that Alexis Vincent Gomez has for Raymond Obadiah was the Jewish merchant’s capacity to forecast. Alexis Vincent Gomez also told me among the predication his friend or business partner told him was that, he (Alexis Vincent Gomez) had a bright star. Some might think it only want embellish is his past or mystify it. 

However, one thing that is true about Alexis Vincent Gomez, he was born into a very large and poor family and he only knew his father when he was 11 years old. He grew up with his mother, grandmother, half brothers and sisters. And life was very hard for him.  He was conscious that, things where very hard and he knew that, his only salvation was education. Hence he studied hard and passed his Advance levels exam or Baccalaureate at the age 20. He later on got admitted at the lone University of the country known then as the University of Brazzaville, which is today known as the Marien Ngouabi University.  Upon graduation, he obtained a scholarship to further his studies in France, where he studied law and specialized in international business law. It was while in Paris and in order to make ends meet that he met with Raymond Obadiah, whom he claim is the source of his wealth and business mentor. He also told me that, while practicing law, he came into contact with George Walker Bush who was at that time the Governor of Texas. In what conditions or circumstances did he meet with former Governor and former President Bush? He doesn’t explain.

But he told me that, the friendship that he made with George Bush helped him a lot, when he decided to return to Congo in 1983. His friendship with George Bush enabled or facilitated him to work or win contracts with US oil firms working in Congo and also within countries of the Gulf of Guinea. While he is explicit in his relationship with Raymond Obadiah and George Walker Bush, he says nothing concrete regarding his relation with the ruling Nguesso family. As for his relationship with the President of the Republic, he claims that, they knew each other when he was still in France and President Denis Sassou Nguesso, appreciated his job and told him he was real lawyer. But he doesn’t also explain why what made him to meet the president and also why the president said he was a real lawyer? Are other lawyers not genuine? Those are questions that he seldom answers. While he is evasive, about is relationship with the President or his wife, he is rather clear as to how he views the opposition in his country. According to Alexis Vincent Gomez, the opposition political parties in Congo are led by amateurs who are threats to the economic prosperity and stability of the country. Why? He doesn’t answer. Perhaps, he will one day give an answer as to the reason why, he thinks the opposition in Congo is not business friendly.

Djibril Bopaka: Profile of a man who epitomizes all that has gone wrong with Denis Sassou Nguesso

El hadj Abdoulaye Djibril Bopaka: he is the head of the Muslim or Islamic Council of Congo and also a former member of the Cobra militia of Denis Sassou Nguesso during the 1997 civil war. He is also the head of a parallel union of owners of enterprises, whose locations and official registry are not known at the ministry of Commerce or at the Brazzaville Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Artisans. The head of the Brazzaville Chamber of Commerce is Paul Obambi. Mr Obambi can’t stand Mr Djibril, because of the duplicity of the second. El Hadj Abdoulaye Djibril Bopaka has the attitudes of rogues or gang leaders. All he does is to impress. One sign is what passes for the head quarters of his many organisations, located near the airport, in street named after him, Avenue Bopaka. It is not clear whether people just decided to call it after him or whether it is official.  On this street, he has constructed a large building, painted Green and White and on and around it, are flags of several countries. This self imposed leader of the Islamic community can’t also tell you whether he is a Sunni or Shia Muslim.  Mr Bopaka is truly a unique character that I have come across on several occasions. Djibril Bopaka for also the noises that he makes about his role during the civil, he is not known for having carried out any act of bravery or fought in any of the battle fronts.

However what he is well known for, are his feats in extortions, even at the height of the civil war. He operated mostly in Oyo, the home district of the President during the civil war. It is reported that, he was almost lynched by members of the President’s family, because of rackets that, he began organizing within the family. He took parcels and pretended to take them to Gabon to give the late Edith Lucie Bongo Ondimba and those parcels never reached their destination. He also did the way when Edith gave him money and gifts for her family and they disappeared along the border between Gabon and Congo.  Another occasion that he was almost lynched was by the traders and fishermen population at the port of Oyo, but the timely intervention of Ambende, the late elder brother of Sassou Nguesso, saved Djibril from being thrown into the Alima River. The traders and fishermen of Oyo were already tired of his racketeering. Djibril Bopaka is an unsuccessful businessman, whose businesses survive simply because he claims to be close to the President of the Republic. The strange man of God and a so-called devoted Muslim doesn’t pay  those who work for him and also misappropriates funds that Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar sends for the expansion of Islam, the building of Mosques, schools and hospitals in Congo. His attitude is the cause of perpetual intra-Muslim confrontations, especially in Pointe Noire, where his authority is rigorously challenged within the Islamic community.   

Within the Muslim community, that he has imposed himself as their leader, he is contested. But because of his proximity with the president of the Republic, he is still the chair of the Islamic community. He is also a strange businessman. He is known to have started business by selling paints. The paint selling business, which he created was called “Bopaka Painture”. He is a man who spends his time to want to speak or imitate the way the president speaks and also organizes rackets of the West African Muslim business community who besides paying taxes to the government and the councils where they operate, they also pays another special tax or levy to Djibril, who claims to defend them. This special tax is called the “Bopaka impot” in French or Bopaka tax in English. He is a corrupt man who spends his time singing the praise and virtue of the fight against corruption. But whenever takes loan from banks, he doesn’t reimburse those loans. His is among those who have contributed in running down most commercial banks in Congo, because they refuse to pay back their loans and nothing happens to them. Currently, he is campaigning for the change of the constitution, for he knows that, in a system which is honest and transparent; his rightful place will be in jail. Yet, these are the type of people who pass for actors or head of civil society organisations in Congo, fighting against corruption or electoral frauds.  He is also a very incoherent man. On one hand, he is calls or advocates for the respect of the rule of law, while other, he wants the president to change the constitution. The only coherent thing that he does best is to find ways and means to line up his pocket. Djibril Bopaka epitomizes all that has gone wrong with the systemic corruption and absence of accountability that Denis Sassou Nguesso has allowed to prosper in Congo, under his rule or should I say, misrule.