TL;DR. On 27 July 2026, France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) formally requested that 23 individuals and entities stand trial in the Gabonese chapter of the long-running “biens mal acquis” (ill-gotten gains) affair — among them BNP Paribas, under formal investigation since 2021 for aggravated laundering of the proceeds of corruption and embezzlement. At least €35 million is alleged to have flowed through the Gabonese company Atelier 74 into French property deals benefiting the family of the late president Omar Bongo. The bank contests any criminal liability. Investigating judges must now decide whether the case goes to trial; the presumption of innocence applies.
What the prosecutors are asking for
The PNF’s filing seeks a criminal trial for five companies — including BNP Paribas — and eighteen individuals, among them several children of Omar Bongo and Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, wife of Congo-Brazzaville’s president, as reported by AML Intelligence and Financial Afrik.
The alleged money trail
Investigators say that between 1996 and 2008, at least €35 million traceable to corruption and embezzled public funds in Gabon moved through the company Atelier 74 before being invested in French real estate for the Bongo clan. Prosecutors want BNP Paribas judged for its alleged part in those flows. Contacted by OCCRP, the bank said: “We contest any criminal liability of BNP Paribas in this case.”
A crowded legal docket
The request lands as the bank fights on other fronts: on 23 August 2026 it filed its appeal brief against the US jury verdict holding it liable for enabling atrocities in Sudan; it pleaded guilty in 2014 to US sanctions violations ($8.97 billion); and its record is chronicled in “What the courts actually say — from Sudan to the CumCum files”.
What happens next
The investigating judges can follow the prosecutors, dismiss the case, or split the difference. If they order a trial, it would be the first time a major French bank stands in criminal court in the two-decade ill-gotten-gains saga. No hearing date exists at this stage.
Sources
AML Intelligence, July 2026 · OCCRP · Financial Afrik · franceinfo (FR).
FAQ
Has BNP Paribas been convicted in the Bongo case?
No. Prosecutors have requested a trial for aggravated money laundering; investigating judges have not yet ruled. The bank, under formal investigation since 2021, contests any criminal liability and is presumed innocent.
What are “ill-gotten gains” cases?
French investigations into luxury assets acquired in France by foreign ruling families with funds suspected to stem from corruption or embezzlement. The Gabonese chapter targets the family of Omar Bongo.
How much money is involved?
At least €35 million is alleged to have moved through the company Atelier 74 into French property purchases between 1996 and 2008.
Is this connected to the Sudan verdict?
Not procedurally — one is a US civil case, the other a French criminal investigation. Both, however, question the bank’s compliance controls over overlapping periods.
By Patrick Lancier
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