Gabon: SEEG, when Ministers become makeshift electricians

If we were to hand out Oscars for the worst energy management, Joël Lehman Sandoungout, former head of SEEG, would surely win the prize. The man found himself at the heart of Karpowership-gate , an energy saga that could well ruin Gabon's finances. Rushing the signing of an expensive contract with the Turkish company Karpowership, Sandoungout allegedly received unclear instructions, leaving the State in a critical situation. But the final bouquet? He passed the hot potato to the Ministers of Economy and Energy.

The story begins with a charming invitation to Turkey, where Sandoungout goes to "inspect" a Turkish ship supposed to produce 150 MW for Libreville. Behind this nice all-expenses-paid trip, a bombshell: a contract of 12 to 13 billion CFA francs per month for five years. Worse, this catastrophic deal was apparently finalized before the President of the Transition, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, was even informed.

Ministers in free fall

When Sandoungout found himself facing investigators from the Directorate General of Research, he attempted a defense worthy of the best B-movie scripts: "It wasn't me, it was the Ministers of Energy, Economy and Budget who forced me!" Seriously? Despite this desperate attempt to exonerate himself, the question remains: why this haste and opacity surrounding a contract with such serious consequences?

This controversial contract has not only highlighted questionable practices but could also leave SEEG penniless. Between the billions lost and the company's already fragile finances, it is a real economic shipwreck. Aggreko, the former supplier, was even sidelined in favor of Karpowership, a decision that is intriguing given the exorbitant cost of the new partnership. As if that were not enough, the final signing took place at a rather ostentatious party in a Radisson Blu.

As if that were not enough, the case also has other skeletons in the closet. Another contract worth several billion CFA francs with the company ECOREF, which is not registered for VAT or the CNSS, to supply dubious meters, adds even more weight to Sandoungout's fall. It's as if SEEG had become a machine for squandering public money. The ministers? Still silent.

Gabon awaits answers

As the country tries to recover from the Bongo era with a wind of transition and transparency, this scandal has the effect of a slap in the face. If Sandoungout and his accomplices are not punished in an exemplary manner, the confidence of the Gabonese in their institutions risks taking a serious blow. It is now up to the President of the Transition to show that this era is over.

In the meantime, SEEG is sinking into debt, the ministers are floundering, and Gabon is waiting for accounts. It is not certain that Sandoungout will find a buyer for the next "official" trip to Turkey.