France Lobbyist Robert Bourgi Discloses $4M Payment from Ex-Gabon President Ali Bongo as Middleman

A French lawyer and Françafrique lobbyist, Robert Bourgi, has revealed that Gabonese Ex-President Ali Bongo paid him about $4 million from 2009-2013 for his intermediary role between Paris and Libreville.

Bourgi, a controversial 79-year-old Franco-Lebanese man, revealed this on France24 subsidiary TV5 MONDE Africa news on Friday, September 27, 2024, during the presentation of his book: “They know that I know everything. My life in France-Afrique”.

For nearly 30 years, Bourgui, whose record on Wikipedia was deleted 48 hours after his interview with the French-owned media outlet, served several French governments on what is called “France-Afrique”, a system designed by and for France to maintain close ties with its former African colonies.

“Françafrique” or “France-Afrique” typically implies a neo-colonial influence where France maintains close political, economic, military, and cultural dominance over its former colonies.

After post-independence, this control dominance over sovereign nations continues through the puppet Presidents.

To France, Bourgi was described by France24 as the pillar of “Françafrique” alongside his mentor, Jacques Foccart.

This is after openly admitting to being paid by the Ex-President of Gabon, Bongo, $4 million into his professional bank account in subsequent payments between 2009-2013, subject to taxes in France.

Meanwhile, Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic, is an oil-rich country with considerable reserves in central Africa whose current transitional president, Brice Oligui, took power in a coup on 30 August 2023 from French-aligned Bongo.

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About The Author

Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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