Glencore Defendants Plead Not Guilty to West African Bribery Charges
12/11/2025
On Monday, November 10, four former oil traders from Glencore Plc appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London. They pleaded not guilty to multiple bribery-related charges connected to the company’s operations in West Africa.
The charges are part of a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) prosecution targeting alleged corrupt practices between 2007 and 2014.
Defendants and Charges:
- Martin Wakefield pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiring to give corrupt payments to government officials in Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Ivory Coast.
- David Perez denied two counts of bribery conspiracy related to Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, and joined Wakefield in refusing a further charge of conspiracy to falsify invoices between 2007 and 2011.
- Paul Hopkirk and Ramon Labiaga each pleaded not guilty to one charge related to operations in Nigeria.
The trial is scheduled to begin in October 2027 and is expected to last up to six months.
Senior Executives Also Charged:
- Glencore’s former head of oil, Alex Beard, and former head of oil operations, Andrew Gibson, were also charged with bribery offences in 2024. Both had previously indicated they would plead not guilty, but did not appear or enter pleas during Monday’s hearing.
- The charges stem from allegations that the individuals conspired to pay bribes to officials at state-owned oil companies in exchange for securing business for Glencore. The SFO alleges that some payments were disguised as service fees through falsified documentation.
Background and Broader Context
- Glencore has already paid over $1.5 billion in fines across the U.S., U.K., and Brazil for related corruption cases. In 2022, the company was fined £276 million in the U.K. alone for corrupt payments made in Africa. [mining.com]
- The case is part of a broader crackdown on corporate bribery and highlights the compliance risks facing multinational firms operating in high-risk jurisdictions.
Sources and Further Reading
https://www.gov.uk/sfo-cases/glencore-employees
https://www.mining.com/web/ex-glencore-staff-plead-not-guilty-to-africa-bribery-charges/
https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=1323-15701245-0FRMHEOCP73M41U8052R1GHG3K
https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=1323-15701245-0FRMHEOCP73M41U8052R1GHG3K
https://www.glencore.com/who-we-are/policies/anti-corruption-and-bribery-policy
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