By Patrick Lancier. The proceedings cited below are ongoing; none constitutes a conviction. Any person or entity named has a right of reply: patrick.lancier@gmail.com — +44 7700 004477.
Gabon’s leading crude producer and France’s second-largest oil group behind TotalEnergies, the Perenco galaxy, owned by the Perrodo family, advances quietly. Behind the discretion, the facts accumulate: a platform catching fire with five dead, an indictment for pollution, an investigation by France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) for corruption with searches reaching its president’s home, and ties brushing the French government.
The Becuna tragedy. On 20 March 2024, a fire ravaged the Becuna platform off Gabon during a workover operation. Toll: five workers dead, others injured. According to union representatives quoted in the press, thermal equipment near the well is said to have triggered an explosion on contact with a gas cloud. It is the worst accident in the country’s oil history.
The Etimboue pollution. On 15 January 2021, the ROLBG and the people of Etimboue filed a complaint over hydrocarbon pollution of rivers, lagoons, mangroves and fishery resources. On 16 July 2021, Perenco Gabon SA was placed under investigation by the Port-Gentil court. Claimants denounce repeated oil spills and harm to health, water and fishing — over 300 fishermen reportedly unemployed — which they attribute to ageing infrastructure. The company contests these accusations.
The PNF investigation. Since March 2023, Perenco has faced investigations for bribery of foreign public officials; a judicial investigation was opened in October 2023 for corruption and money laundering. In late March 2026, the Gabonese State, under transitional President Brice Oligui Nguema, filed a complaint with the PNF against Perenco and associates of Noureddin Bongo Valentin, also targeting businessman Alain Malek. In mid-June 2026, searches targeted the group’s Paris headquarters and the homes of executives and shareholders, including president Francois Perrodo. Perenco denies the claims and calls certain assertions ‘false and defamatory’.
The political thread. Jean-Michel Runacher, father of minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher, is a long-standing associate of the Perrodo family: present alongside Hubert Perrodo at the group’s creation, he sits on the board of BNF Capital, which manages the Perrodo family’s assets. In November 2022, a decree barred the minister from handling files concerning Perenco.
To date, no final conviction has been handed down. Perenco has been contacted for a response.
Sources: France 24 https://observers.france24.com/fr/afrique/20240328-nous-travaillons-avec-la-peur-au-ventre-au-gabon-cinq-morts-sur-une-plateforme-p%C3%A9troli%C3%A8re — Gabonreview (indictment) https://www.gabonreview.com/pollution-a-etimboue-perenco-inculpe-et-mise-en-examen/ — Gabonreview (Perenco denies) https://www.gabonreview.com/plainte-contre-perenco-devant-la-justice-francaise-la-compagnie-petroliere-dement/ — Tchadinfos https://tchadinfos.com/2026/03/30/affaire-bongo-le-gabon-porte-plainte-en-france-contre-perenco/ — Usine Nouvelle https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/cinq-choses-a-savoir-sur-perenco-le-petrolier-pointe-du-doigt-pour-ses-liens-avec-la-ministre-pannier-runacher.N2065767