A reset for Nigeria-South Africa relations

With a population of about 53 million people and a GDP of close to 350 billion US Dollars, South Africa is considered as a buoyant economy. Additionally, as an emerging economy with requisite technological know-how, South Africa will by all means represent a suitable partner with Nigeria in our quest for growth and national development. With the precarious economic situation of Nigeria arising from fall in oil prices, the seeming renewal of economic cum diplomatic relations between Nigeria and South Africa will greatly impact positively on the country.

It is therefore illustrative that the South African President Mr. Jacob Zuma’s state visit to Nigeria in company of over 150 businessmen and potential investors is instructive. Nigeria as a country is in a situation where in her bid to diversify her sources of revenue, is exploring other areas, especially manufacturing, mining and agriculture. Incidentally, these are the major areas of the emerging economic blueprint of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and they are in tandem with the capacity of South Africa as a potential partner to deliver to Nigeria.

There is no doubt that President Buhari’s economic blueprint for Nigeria which will include eliminating bottlenecks to businesses and offering incentives to foreign investors is beginning to yield desired result. Our reset with South Africa wherein her President led some of the country’s biggest businessmen on a state visit to Nigeria signposts a new dawn in our bilateral relations with South Africa.

Since 1999 the number of major South African companies operating in Nigeria has risen to about 120. What this translates to is that both countries’ relations have become more robust and has the potential to improve. It is estimated that at least eighty bilateral agreements have been signed by both countries to boost trade, investment and diplomatic relations.

Nigeria with a population of about 173 million people and gross domestic product of nearly 521 billion US Dollars offers the South African businesses a huge market for her products and services.

It is equally remarkable that the South African government is offering its support to Nigeria in the war against terrorism. Already, Nigerian defence officials have signed agreement with their South African counterparts for the deployment of that country’s Special Forces to assist in the war against terrorism.

This reset of bilateral cooperation appears to be a reciprocal action for Nigeria’s many decades of support to South Africa especially during the years of anti-apartheid struggle. Gladly, the South African president during his address to the joint session of the National Assembly had acknowledged the role of Nigeria in helping his country in their years of struggle for emancipation from the clutches of apartheid.

It is also pertinent to note that the new interest being developed in Nigeria by South Africa is easily traceable to political and economic reengineering being carried out by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. The openness and sincerity the president has brought to bear in statecraft has greatly restored the confidence of the international community to Nigeria.

South Africa as a country is famous for its advancement in technology. In this regard, Nigeria stands to benefit from South Africa’s experience in mining, auto assembly, metal work, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizers, foodstuffs and commercial ship repairs. It is worthy of note that South Africa is the world largest producer of platinum and chromium.

In the desire of the Buhari administration to diversify Nigeria’s economy, there is no doubt that South Africa’s time-tested knowledge in mining will be of immense value and advantage to Nigeria. With the visit of South African President to Nigeria, and considering their huge investments in Nigeria, it is expected that on the basis of reciprocity, that measures will be put in place to balance trade between both countries as well as strengthen their diplomatic relations. President Buhari’s strategy of exploring new business and diplomatic channels for our overall national development should indeed be commended, and given all necessary support.

President Zuma’s visit also afforded both leaders the opportunity to iron out issues surrounding the incessant molestation of Nigerians resident in South Africa. These attacks on innocent Nigerians by their South African counterparts are seen in many quarters as xenophobic, and all efforts should be made to address the problems that may likely provoke such emotional hatred and outburst.

Nigeria’s partnership with South Africa ought to be anchored on mutual respect, love and understanding. Similarly, the visit afforded both leaders the opportunity to iron out differences on the issue of the fine against South Africa’s MTN by the NCC. Hopefully, the message will be delivered on the need for MTN and indeed other companies operating in Nigeria to obey the laws of their host country by abiding with the regulations in their respective sectors. It needs no telling that such acts of omission or commission tantamount to a breach in our national security as they undermine our economy and by extension the political stability of the nation.

Somalia: Ex Al-Shabaab Official Executed for Journalists' Killings

Somalia's government on Monday executed a former journalist accused of helping al-Shabab militants kill at least five other journalists in Mogadishu between 2007 and 2011.

Officials and witnesses say a firing squad executed Hassan Hanafi Haji at a police academy in Mogadishu. Haji was extradited from Kenya last year at the request of the Somali government.

Abdulahi Hussein Mohamed, deputy judge of the military court, talked to the media after the execution and said the former journalist had a fair trial and finally faced justice.

"He has been going under court process since earlier 2015. So, now with all the evidences and his confession the justice had been done," Mohamed said.

Haji acted as al-Shabab's liaison officer to the media and pressured journalists to report according to the group's media rules, which included avoiding stories related to military setbacks. He was known to threaten journalists and radio stations if they did not comply.

He later worked for Radio Andalus, al-Shabab’s official media outlet.

"He tasted the pain he inflicted [on] our colleagues. Justice should not only be done but it must be seen to be done," said a prominent local journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Admitted to involvement, then recanted

Haji was one of the few suspects prosecuted by the Somali government following years of criticism by rights groups who urged the authorities to do more.The former journalist was captured in Kenya in 2014. In an interview aired on Somalia’s state TV in February, he admitted to direct involvement in the murder of several journalists and knowledge of other journalists’ killings.

But last month Haji claimed he made the confessions after being tortured, according to a leaked audio recording of a phone call.

Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries for media workers.  According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 25 journalists have been murdered in Somalia since 2007.

Haji’s execution comes two days after two other members of al-Shabab’s militant group were also executed by firing squad for the murder of a journalists killed in a car bomb last year.

Bombing in Mogadishu

On Monday, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack at the local government headquarters in Mogadishu. At least three people were killed and five others were wounded.

"We are behind the governor HQ attack," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabab’s military operations spokesman, told Reuters.

Witnesses said two children were among those killed.

"The explosion was caused by a car loaded with explosives," police officer Ibrahim Mohamed said.

The United Nations mission in Somalia said it "strongly condemns" the attack.

South Sudan: Record-Breaking Levels of Harvest-Time Hunger in South Sudan, Says UN

By Katy Migiro

Nairobi — A record 5.8 million people in South Sudan or half its population do not know where their next meal will come from as conflict and poor rains have increased cereal prices by nearly five-fold in a year, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Hunger in South Sudan has worsened significantly over the last year to its highest harvest time level since systematic data collection began in 2010, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme (WFP) said.

"South Sudan is facing a deadly blend of conflict, economic hardship and poor rains," WFP's country director Joyce Luma said in a statement.

"They are worsening a hunger gap that we fear will force more people to go hungry and increase malnutrition."

The world's youngest nation, which ceded from Sudan in 2011 after a lengthy war, needs peace to feed its people, she said.

The proportion of people who are moderately or severely food insecure, which means they do not have enough to eat or cannot afford the food that is available, have risen to a high of 49 percent from 38 percent over the past year, the agencies said.

A political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, sparked conflict in 2013, forcing more than two million people from their homes. Tens of thousands were killed in ethnic clashes.

The two leaders signed a preliminary peace deal in August and Kiir re-appointed Machar as vice president in February.

Despite this, conflict has continued, paralysing markets.

Violence broke out this year in the breadbasket regions of Bahr el-Ghazal in the west and Equatorial in the south, which were previously largely unaffected by the war.

Numerous roadblocks have sprung up and truck drivers taking food to market are often asked to pay "exorbitant ad hoc taxes", the agencies said.

They said the 2015 cereal harvest is down 9 percent on 2014, largely due to poor rains, while higher transport costs and a sharp fall in the South Sudanese currency have also pushed cereal prices up.

Unlike many of its drought-prone neighbours, South Sudan is incredibly fertile and more than 90 percent of its land could be farmed. But less than 5 percent was cultivated in 2011 and this figure has fallen with two years of civil war, FAO said.

(Editing by Katie Nguyen)

Mali: State of Emergency Declared for 10 Days

Bamako — Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Monday decreed a state of emergency over the entire Malian territory for a period of ten days because of "terrorist threats," an official source announced.

The state of emergency was declared following an extraordinary council of ministers on Monday, chaired by the Malian Head of State, reported the New China agency.

The previous State of Emergency had ended on 31 March.

A statement from the Malian government explained this decision by the fact that Mali and in the sub-region "still faces terrorist threats."

According to the Malian authorities, the State of Emergency that ended last March 31 has "allowed to arrest suspects and seizes vehicles."

South Africa: Zuma Survives Impeachment Vote

South African lawmakers have voted against a motion to impeach President Jacob Zuma. Last week the Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma had violated the constitution by spending state money on his private home.

South African lawmakers on Tuesday voted against a motion to impeach ruling President Jacob Zuma. Amidst shouts of "Zuma must go," the parliament's deputy speaker Lechesa Tsenoli dismissed the motion.

The heated parliamentary debate came after the country's Constitutional Court passed a judgment saying that the president had violated the law and must pay back the money he spent for upgrades on his private home in Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal province.

The court had ruled that Zuma had "failed to uphold, defend and respect the constitution" in ignoring the directives of the public prosecutor, Thuli Madonsela, to pay back money that had been used for non-security upgrades. These included a swimming pool, a cattle enclosure and chicken run and an amphitheater. The project is said to cost South African tax papers $24 million (21 million euros).

ANC not true to itself?

During the debate, Mmusi Maimane, leader of the biggest opposition party, Democratic Alliance (DA), told his fellow lawmakers: "We know that the ANC will fall in line behind President Zuma." He went on to say that the Constitutional Court ruling should have been the end of Zuma's presidency.

The DA leader said that while Zuma and the ANC had downplayed the matter, he regarded it as "a big deal. "

Tuesday's vote would show that the ANC has lost its way. "Corruption has infected the entire party like a cancer." Maimane said, adding that Zuma's recent scandals and Tuesday's debate would be reflected in future local elections, in which he predicted people would no longer vote for the ANC.

John Jeffery, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and a member of the ANC, countered that Zuma had not committed a serious crime. He argued that the president had apologized for his mistakes and had always acted in good faith.

Speaker impartial

Amidst much shouting the opposition DA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) parties opened the debate by calling on the parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete to step aside. The opposition claimed that Mbete, who also holds the position of ANC chairperson and had previously defended Zuma's actions, could not objectively preside over the debate.

"You are therefore party to the crimes that took place," DA whip, John Steenhuizen argued. "I would ask you Madam Speaker, in the interest of restoring the credibility of this parliament, that you make the decision to invoke rule 15 and ask the deputy speaker to preside over this debate today." EFF leader, Julius Malema, told Mbete that his party would issue her with court papers. The Speaker did not officially recuse herself, but she did hand the debate over to her deputy.

On Friday (01.04.2016) Zuma promised to pay back the money and apologized for the matter in an address to the nation. Zuma's critics, however, voiced their disappointment as many had expected him to resign. Zuma has not only been in the spotlight because of the Nklandla case, but also because of his alleged ties to a governmental corruption scandal involving the Gupta family.

African Leaders Open Conference With Encouraging Messages on Economic Transformation

PRESS RELEASE

Addis Ababa — “Our future rests in our hands,” declared Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Mr. Haile Mariam Desalegn on Monday in his keynote speech at the opening of the Conference of Ministers at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa.

Reflecting on harmonising and coordinating the different policies of the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s own Agenda 2063, Mr. Desalegn urged African states to be “strategic, ambitious, rigorous and disciplined” if they are to achieve sustainable and inclusive development for their people.

The Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. Augustin Matata Ponyo, views government as having a crucial role to play in bringing about sustainable development.

“Many African countries are already on track with transforming their economies. The role of governments in Africa is to offer inclusive and sustainable development which is important in addressing climate change and economic growth.”

Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, implored African countries to improve young people’s skills in science and engineering. “With an average of over 90% of graduates in social sciences, Africa’s innovation and scientific skills lag behind.”

She noted that with a burgeoning youth population, Africa has no choice but to look for solutions. Dr Zuma also spoke on industrialisation and economic diversification, on the need to reduce import dependency and on creating regional centres of innovation.

Sustainable Development in Spotlight at #AfricanDevelopmentWeek

A week-long series of events is underway in Addis Ababa focusing on the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa's 50-year development plan, Agenda 2063. #AfricanDevelopmentWeek  #COM2016

More suggestions on possible solutions came from Mr. Carlos Lopes, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, who noted “African current growth has not generated sufficient jobs and has not been inclusive enough to significantly curb poverty. Fluctuations in price has made such growth vulnerable.”

Therefore Africa should look into “structurally transforming, focusing on the potential offered by industrialization.” Mr. Lopes suggested Africa consider expanding commodities value chains, and attracting low-value manufacturing from Asia to Africa.

Mr. Lopes remarked that “transformation will not happen spontaneously but rather as a result of deliberate and coherent policies that are entrenched into a coherent development strategy, enlightened by a transformational leadership.”

Picking up on the theme of leadership, the Vice-President of Namibia, Mr. Nickey Iyambo, told the 800-strong audience “strong leadership is a prerequisite for fostering the continent’s development with healthy economies that grow and end poverty.”

He encourages African countries to learn from Namibia’s approach by cultivating the African spirit of self-reliance through a wise use of resources.

“Let’s take the torch in our own hand and develop our countries,” he said.

The Conference of Ministers is an annual event jointly organised by the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union Commission. The 2016 conference concludes on Tuesday.

Obasanjo Seeks Accountable Governance in Africa

The former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has appealed to African leaders to focus on good governance, equity and every avenue that would enhance growth and development in the continent.

Obasanjo, speaking at the end of the Commonwealth Day Service and the Commonwealth Africa Summit, tagged: “Shared prosperity, Mutual Security” held in commemoration of the Commonwealth Week in London, added that good governance with sustainable development would reduce tension and unhealthy rivalry among member-countries in Africa.

He also said that the world would listen to African leaders who will certainly be favoured by globalisation when they look inwards and endeavour to solve their problems without falling back on the West for aids and grants.

“The world would listen to you when they think you are serious and doing what is right. We as Africans should remember that nobody would do anything for us unless we do it ourselves.”

“Although the notion is that African countries must always learn from their Commonwealth counterparts in the developed world, the reality is that there are lots of good things that could also be learnt from Africa.

“If globalisation means “I open my door and you take things out but you close your own door to me, then to hell with globalisation.

Commonwealth Africa Initiative Co-Chair, Baroness Flather while speaking to the audience at the event which was attended by the new Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland, said: “Through this activity, we are able to honour Africans who fought in the Second World War, like the Nigerians who fought alongside the British in Burma.“Africa is not an unmitigated failure, there are good things in Africa. Africa remains the cradle of humanity. We need to put our pad on our head as Africans, stand by our load and be ready to carry, then they would help us”, he said.

Also in his opening remark, the Summit Co-ordinator, Mr. Dayo Israel, said that Africa has come of age and should not only belong to the Commonwealth but should be able to benefit from Commonwealth.

“There is a reward for being a member of the EU-Free Trade agreement and what have you. We need to begin to push for better rewards for our Commonwealth membership. We must be able to leverage on our shared heritage when it comes to immigration, trade, youth development and security. We must make the Commonwealth more relevant to the ordinary African people.”

Dr. Caroline Harper, while speaking at the Summit at the prestigious Tag Hotel in Victoria said: “We must leave no one behind in the Commonwealth and as the SDG says: we must reach the farthest behind first”.

Africa loses more money to illicit financial flows than it receives in foreign aid

A huge trove of leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm that’s a major player in offshore tax havens has revealed the secret companies controlled by members of the African elite, from Kenya’s deputy chief of justice and Rwanda’s former intelligence chief to the son of former United Nations general secretary Kofi Annan.

Every year, Africa loses between $30 and $60 billion to illicit financial flows (pdf, p. 34), according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). A “major enabler” of these flows, UNECA says, are offshore tax havens like Panama, the British Virgin Islands, Seychelles, and other jurisdictions that happen to feature prominently in the “Panama Papers” leak.

There are legitimate uses for privacy-shielding offshore companies, and the firm from which the leak sprung, Mossack Fonseca, says it has operated “beyond reproach in our home country and in other jurisdictions where we have operations.”

Africa’s losses to illegal financial flows negate the impact of economic growth on the continent. (Indeed, these illicit activities appear to rise in lock-step with economic growth.) They also cancel out the amount of foreign aid the continent receives—the OECD estimates that illicit financial flows from Africa are three times the amount of official development assistance it receives. The Tax Justice Network, an activist research group, says these flows are 10 times the amount of aid (pdf, p. 64).

For the past year, journalists led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, acting on the leak first received by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, have been analyzing millions of documents from Mossack Fonseca that link 72 current and former heads of state to shell companies and other obscure offshore vehicles. Here are a some of the noteworthy African names:

The son of Kofi Annan

Kojo Annan, the son of Kofi Annan, used a company registered in Niue, a tiny Pacific island, to buy an apartment in London for more than $500,000. He is also a joint shareholder and director of two companies listed in the British Virgin Islands. His lawyers say there is nothing untoward about Annan’s offshore holdings. He “pays taxes in the jurisdictions in which taxes are due to be paid. In other words, any entity and account held by Mr. Annan has been opened solely for normal, legal purposes of managing family and business matters,” according to the ICIJ.

Joseph Kabila’s twin sister

Jaynet Désirée Kabila Kyungu is the twin sister of Congolese president Joseph Kabila as well as a member of parliament. She is the co-director of Keratsu Holding Limited, which was incorporated in Niue a few months after her brother became president of the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is also the owner of a media conglomerate in the country, Digital Congo.

Kenya’s deputy chief justice

Kalpana Rawal has been linked to 11 offshore companies. According to the files, Rawal and her husband used various offshore companies to buy and sell real estate in and around London. Rawal has responded to the report by defending the registrations as a “perfectly legal and legitimate corporate practice in the UK,” according to the Kenyan daily, the Nation.

Read Also : Who is who on the list? Notable Africans in the leaked 'Panama Papers'

Kagame’s former doctor-cum-intelligence chief

Emmanuel Ndahiro, a close confidant of Rwandan president Paul Kagame, is know for his harsh stance on corruption. He served as the president’s physician, security advisor, and spokesperson. According to the Panama leaks he was the director of an offshore company, Debden Investments, registered in the Virgin Islands and owned by Hatari Sekoko, a wealthy Rwandan businessman. The company was shuttered in 2010.

Hosni Mubarak’s son

Alaa Mubarak, the son of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, owned the Virgin Islands-registered firm Pan World Investments. When his father stepped down in 2011 amid the Arab Spring, local authorities acted on an EU order and froze the company’s assets. Mossack Fonseca was fined $37,500 in 2013 for not vetting Mubarak carefully enough. Alaa and his brother were convicted last year of embezzling state funds and await trial on charges of insider trading.

The son of Ghana’s former president

John Addo Kufuor hired Mossack Fonseca to manage his trust, the Excel 2000 Trust, in 2001, after his father, John Agyekum Kufuor, took office. The trust controlled a bank account in Panama containing $75,000, of which his mother was also a beneficiary. The younger Kufuor was linked to two other offshore companies also registered during his father’s term that are now inactive.

Who is who on the list? Notable Africans in the leaked 'Panama Papers'

A HUGE leak of confidential documents has revealed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth. Eleven million documents were leaked from one of the world’s most secretive companies, Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, and were passed to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, which then shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

They amount to approximately 3 terabytes of data, including corporate records, emails and more. It is about 100 times larger than the 1.7 GB of data dumped in 2010 by Wikileaks. 

In amongst these records were global figures such as footballer Lionel Messi, actor Jackie Chan and those named reached the highest political tiers such as Russian president Vladamir Putin and British politicians Lord Ashcroft, Baroness Pamela Sharples and former Tory MP Michael Mates. 

In their research on the panama leaks’ “Power Players”, the ICIJ focused in and explored the stories behind the use of offshore companies of politicians and their relatives and associates specifically. These totalled more than 100 in all and for each of them the consortium indicated that they had contacted them for comment. 

Here are the stories of current or former senior African officials, relatives of presidents and VIPs, or business people featured on this list, but bear in mind that there are legitimate uses for offshore companies, foundations and trusts. This is not to suggest or imply that any persons, companies or other entities listed here have broken the law or otherwise acted improperly:

Ahmad Ali al-Mirghani, former Sudanese president

Al-Mirghani died in November 2008. He was the democratically-elected president of Sudan from May 1986 until he was overthrown by a coup in June 1989.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore company owned a London apartment 

Al-Mirghani was the owner of the British Virgin Islands company Orange Star Corporation, created in 1995. That same year, Orange Star Corporation purchased a long lease of an apartment in an expensive area of London north of Hyde Park for more than $600,000 . At the time of al-Mirghani’s death, he held assets through the company worth $2.72 million.

Alaa Mubarak, son of former Egyptian president

Alaa Mubarak is a wealthy Egyptian businessman and the eldest son of ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. 

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore company triggered investigations by financial authorities.

Alaa Mubarak owned the British Virgin Islands firm Pan World Investments Inc., managed by Credit Suisse. In 2011, the year in which his father resigned the Egyptian presidency and was arrested along with Alaa and another son, BVI authorities told Mossack Fonseca to freeze Pan World’s assets, an order prompted by a European Union law.

In 2013, Mossack Fonseca was fined $37,500 for failing to properly check into Alaa Mubarak, “a high risk customer.” Credit Suisse, however, wrote Mossack Fonseca that Pan World’s activities – “one investment with HIG Venture Fund” and a cash account with the bank – did not contravene Switzerland’s freeze on Mubarak’s assets. In 2014, a second BVI agency started investigating Mossack Fonseca and Pan World. Company employees admitted internally that they could be found “in further breaches.” Noting they had “very little control” over Mubarak’s company, they resigned as its agent in April 2015.

 Location of British Virgin Islands/Google Maps

Mounir Majidi, personal secretary to the King of Morocco

Majidi is the head of SIGER, the holding company of Morocco’s royal family with stakes in mining, agricultural and telecommunications businesses.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data:  British Virgin Islands company was used to purchase luxury 1930s schooner used by Morocco’s king.

In March 2006, Mounir Majidi received power of attorney privileges for SMCD Limited, which was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands in 2005. In January 2006, SMCD Limited authorized the purchase of a luxury 1930s schooner “Aquarius W” and put Majidi in charge of handling the transaction.

After the purchase, the vessel was registered in Morocco. Renamed “El Boughaz I,” the schooner is now owned by King Mohammed VI. SMCD Limited was also used to make a loan for an unknown purpose to a Luxembourg-based company, Logimed Investments Co., Sàrl. SMCD Limited was liquidated in 2013. Majidi was also administrator of a Luxembourg company called Immobiliere Orion S.A., which borrowed $42 million in 2003 from a Mossack Fonseca-incorporated company to buy and renovate a luxury Paris apartment. It is unclear who owned the company that lent the money.

A lawyer for Majidi said: “The two companies to which you refer were created in strict accordance with laws in place and their existence is available from public registers.”

John Addo Kufuor, son of Ghana’s former president

John Addo Kufuor is the eldest son of John Agyekum Kufuor, who led the country from 2001 to 2009.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: His offshore company controlled a $75,000 bank account for Kufour and his mother.

In early 2001, shortly after the start of his father’s first presidential term, Kufuor appointed Mossack Fonseca to manage The Excel 2000 Trust. Later that year, it controlled a bank account in Panama worth $75,000. His mother - Theresa Kufuor, then-Ghana’s First Lady - was also a beneficiary. In November 2010, an employee in Mossack Fonseca’s compliance office in the British Virgin Islands suggested to colleagues that “due to the apparent prevalence of corruption surrounding Mr. Kufour we would not recommend us taking him on as a client or continuing business with him.” Mossack Fonseca, however, continued to do business with Kufuor. In 2012, Kufuor asked Mossack Fonseca to close the trust.

Jean-Claude N’Da Ametchi, associate of former Ivory Coast president

Jean-Claude N’Da Ametchi is a banking executive from the Ivory Coast. In April 2011, the European Union sanctioned N’Da Ametchi for allegedly helping to fund the “illegitimate administration” of former president Laurent Gbagbo. Gbagbo oversaw a civil conflict in which 3,000 people were killed when he refused to accept his defeat in the 2010 presidential elections.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: An offshore firm held assets for N’Da Ametchi and a bank account in Monaco.

Cadley House Ltd. was registered in the Seychelles in 2006. Although the company was at first held through so-called bearer shares, which do not list an offshore company’s owner, emails confirm that the firm belonged to N’Da Ametchi. The company’s purpose was described as “management of personal assets…[and] ownership of a bank account in the Principality of Monaco.” In one 2011 email from N’Da Ametchi to Mossack Fonseca’s Geneva office, the business executive discussed selling assets and the transfer of nearly $5,000. Although N’Da Ametchi’s financial managers told Mossack Fonseca in 2014 that “the beneficial owner of the company does not wish to maintain his company and wish to terminate it,” the company was still active in 2015. There is no indication from emails whether Mossack Fonseca was aware of the European sanctions.

Clive Khulubuse Zuma, nephew of South African president

Clive Khulubuse Zuma is a nephew of South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma. A mining magnate, Khulubuse Zuma reportedly has a lavish lifestyle. In June 2015, a South African court found Zuma liable as chairman in the collapse of a gold mining company that led to more than 5,000 job losses.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore firm was accused of questionable oil field deals.

Zuma was authorised to represent Caprikat Limited, one of two offshore companies that controversially acquired oil fields in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In late summer 2010, as published reports raised questions about the acquisition, British Virgin Islands authorities ordered Mossack Fonseca to provide background information on Zuma, which the law firm had not previously obtained. That same year, Mossack Fonseca decided to end its relationship with the companies. Zuma and representatives of the companies have rejected allegations of wrongdoing and claimed the oil deals are “quite attractive” to the DRC government.

Mamadie Touré, widow of former president of Guinea

Mamadie Touré is the widow of Lansana Conté, the former dictator and president of Guinea. U.S. authorities allege that Touré received $5.3 million in bribes to help a mining company obtain rights to the world’s richest iron ore deposit. In 2014, US authorities raided Touré’s Florida home, seizing properties, restaurant equipment and an ice cream cooler collectively worth more than $1 million.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore company timing coincides with disputed award of a mining contract by her late husband.

Touré was granted the power of attorney to Matinda Partners and Co. Ltd, a British Virgin Islands company, in November 2006. That same year, she began a relationship with a mining company that US authorities alleged had paid her $5.3 million to help it win a disputed mining concession from her husband, then-President Lansana Conté, shortly before he died in late 2008. Investigators said Matinda was a conduit for much of the money paid to Touré. Touré, who is cooperating with US authorities as part of an ongoing probe, has admitted to receiving bribes in order to influence her husband. She used a stand-in shareholder, Beneficence Foundation, and a Swiss company as the foundation’s manager, which reduced public connections between Matinda and Touré. The company ceased to operate on 30 April 2010.

Jaynet Désirée Kabila Kyungu, DR Congo member of parliament

Jaynet Désirée Kabila Kyungu is the twin sister of Joseph Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Famed for secrecy and meticulousness, she was elected to parliament in November 2011 and took office in February 2012. Kabila is the president of the Laurent Desire Kabila Foundation, named after her father, and owner of Digital Congo, a television, Internet and radio conglomerate. In 2015, Jeune Afrique reported that Kabila had become “the most influential person in the president’s entourage.”

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore company has holding in Congo’s wireless communications business.

Keratsu Holding Limited was incorporated in Niue on June 19, 2001, a few months after Kabila’s brother became president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Jaynet Désirée Kabila Kyungu appeared as co-director with Congolese businessman Kalume Nyembwe Feruzi. The DRC company Keratsu Holding Ltd has owned stakes in one of the DRC’s major mobile phone operators.

Abdeslam Bouchouareb, Algerian Minister of industry and mines

A former business executive, Bouchouareb entered politics in 1994. He served as minister of industry from 1996, minister of employment from 2000 and vice president of the National Assembly in 2012.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore company said to be used for business activities in Turkey, the United Kingdom and Algeria.

Abdeslam Bouchouareb has been the sole owner of the Panamanian company Royal Arrival Corp., which was created in April 2015, since July 2015 . Through this company, Bouchouareb held a Swiss bank account at NBAD Private Bank SA. He managed Royal Arrival Corp. via a Luxembourg company, Compagnie d’Etude et de Conseil (CEC). In emails sent to Mossack Fonseca, CEC said the activities of Royal Arrival Corp. were commercial representation and negotiation, commercial contracts, public works, railway and maritime transport, which took place in Turkey, the United Kingdom and in Algeria.

Response from his reps: A Luxembourg financial firm that set up the company for Bouchouareb, confirmed his ownership, noting that it “was constituted in all transparency.” It was set up to own and manage inherited property, the firm said. Because of Bouchouareb’s ministerial position, “We, with his agreement, decided to delay any use of the company, and the opening of the bank account at NBAD Geneva was never finalized…Mr. Bouchouareb asked us to freeze this company for the duration of his public mandates.”

José Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos, Angola’s minister of petroleum

Botelho de Vasconcelos first served as petroleum minister from 1999 to 2002 before becoming Minister for Energy and Water. He was re-appointed Minister of Petroleum in 2008 and was president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2009.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore use goes back to his first time as minister of petroleum.

 Locations of Niue and Samoa/Google Maps

On 6 March 2002, when Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos was minister of petroleum for the first time, he was named one of two individuals who had power of attorney for Medea Investments Limited, a company that put its own value at $1 million. The company was incorporated on September 13, 2001 in Niue and moved to Samoa in 2006. It was inactivated on Feb. 16, 2009. In both Niue and Samoa, the company was held by “bearer” shares, which belong to the individual who physically holds them, making it easier to obscure ownership. Medea Investments Limited (Samoa) was one of two companies to hold shares in the New York company Blue Nile Consulting LLC in October 2007.

Kalpana Rawal, Kenya’s Deputy Chief Justice

Kalpana Rawal, who became Kenya’s Deputy Chief Justice in June 2013, has been fighting an attempt by the Judicial Services Commission to force her to retire from Kenya’s Supreme Court since her 70th birthday in January 2016. She filed suit in September, arguing she was appointed under a previous constitution that let judges work until they turn 74. In December , a five-judge panel ruled against her, but she has appealed. She has noted that the issue is bigger than just her case and could effect the retirement and pension rights who were appointed under the previous constitution.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Used offshore companies to buy and sell London real estate

Rawal and her husband were directors of two companies based in the British Virgin Islands, prior to her joining the nation’s Supreme Court. The family used other offshore companies to buy and sell real estate in London and nearby Surrey.

Her response to this is that she has not been involved with the family businesses except for generally knowing they were involved in real estate. She was listed as director on two of them without her knowledge by her husband when he was told two directors were required, she said. 

Ian Stuart Kirby, senior judge in Botswana

Kirby has served as president of the Court of Appeal in Botswana since 2010. A former private attorney and tax specialist, Kirby was Botswana’s deputy attorney general from 1990 to 2000 and served as a High Court judge from 2000 until late 2003, when he ascended to the post of attorney general. He eventually returned to the High Court bench in 2006.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: One of many shareholders in offshore companies, some of which owned UK real estate

Kirby first appeared in documents sent to Mossack Fonseca as a shareholder of Bellbrook Estates Limited in May 2005, while Kirby was attorney general of Botswana. Bellbrook Estates Limited carried out unspecified activities in the United Kingdom, according to a 2014 list by Mossack Fonseca of active companies for which it served as registered agent. Although specific details of the offshore companies in which Kirby held shares are not available, at least three of those BVI firms held properties, including commercial real estate, in the United Kingdom.

In response Kirby said that the companies were special purpose vehicles formed by a joint venture to acquire, develop and resell a particular property in the UK, as an investment. 

Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, Head of national oil company

Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua rose to power in the Republic of Congo through his family’s close association with President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, first serving as the president’s hydrocarbons adviser, then becoming head of the national oil company (SNPC) in 1998. Itoua was implicated in a massive diversion of company funds that came to light in 2003. A lawsuit two years later by one of Congo’s creditors accused Itoua and the SNPC of conspiring to “divert oil revenues ... into the pockets of powerful Congolese public officials.” After a US federal appeals court ruled in 2007 that American courts did not have jurisdiction over the suit against the SNPC because it was a government agency, the creditor did not pursue its case against Itoua.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Held offshore companies when in charge of energy and the national oil company.

Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua had power of attorney to represent two offshore companies in 2004, while he was energy adviser to the President of the Republic of Congo and CEO of SNPC, the Congolese national oil company. The companies, Denvest Capital Strategies Inc., based in the British Virgin Islands, and Grafin Associated SA, based in Panama, had previously issued unregistered shares which belong to the person who physically holds them. The companies became inactive in 2006 and 2007 respectively, according to Mossack Fonseca’s records.

James Ibori, Former Governor of Delta State

James Ibori, governor of Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta State from 1999 to 2007, pleaded guilty in a London court in 2012 to conspiracy to defraud and money laundering offences. Ibori admitted using his position as governor to corruptly obtain and divert up to $75 million out of Nigeria through a network of offshore companies, although authorities alleged that the total amount he embezzled may have exceeded $250 million. Ibori received a 13-year prison sentence. 

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore company figured in fraud and money laundering investigation. 

Mossack Fonseca was the registered agent of four offshore companies connected to James Ibori, including Julex Foundation, of which Ibori and family members were beneficiaries. Julex was the shareholder of Stanhope Investments, a company incorporated in Niue in 2003. Ibori was also connected to Financial Advisory Group Ltd. and Hunglevest Corporation, although Mossack Fonseca’s files do not specify the exact nature of his connection. In 2008, Mossack Fonseca received a request from the Seychelles government to produce documents as part of a probe by the Crown Prosecution Service, England’s principal prosecuting authority, of Ibori and alleged criminal activities.

Emmanuel Ndahiro, Rwanda’s former Chief of Intelligence

Emmanuel Ndahiro served as president Paul Kagame’s physician, security adviser and spokesman. He also served as military spokesman when Kagame was minister of defence from 1994-2000. Ndahiro led Rwanda’s National Intelligence and Security Services from 2004-2011. In 2015, he was promoted to brigadier general.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Director in offshore company owned by an army colleague. 

Emmanuel Ndahiro became a director of British Virgin Islands company Debden Investments Limited in September 1998.

Attan Shansonga, Former Zambian ambassador to the US

Attan Shansonga, ambassador of Zambia to the United States between 2000 and 2002, was arrested in the Zambian capital of Lusaka in 2002 amid an investigation into the diversion of millions of dollars out of Zambia when President Frederik Chiluba’s was in office. 

Shansonga fled Zambia in 2004 and, two years later, was accused by the Zambian government of receiving “misappropriated monies” and using offshore accounts to launder the loot. In 2007, an English civil court held that Shansonga served as a conduit for $1.3 million to President Chiluba’s spy chief. Following the ruling, Zambia reportedly recovered “significant sums of money from him.” Attempts by the Zambian government to extradite Shansonga have failed.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: One offshore company was accused of looting the Zambian state.

In 1998, Shansonga became a director of Starflight Ventures Limited, Stacey Investment Holdings Ltd and Debden Investments Limited. The activities of these companies were not revealed. In 2005, Mossack Fonseca received court documents because it was the agent for Hearnville Estates Ltd., a British Virgin Islands-based company named as one of 20 defendants, including Shansonga himself, in a corruption case that the Zambian government pursued in an English court. The company, incorporated in 1998, was allegedly used to purchase apartments in Lusaka with money looted from the Zambian state.

Kojo Annan, son of former United Nations secretary general

The Swiss company Cotecna hired Kojo Annan in 1995 for work in Nigeria. By early 1998, he had quit to become a consultant to Cotecna. Months later, the United Nations awarded the firm a contract as part of Oil-for-Food humanitarian programme in Iraq, prompting allegations of impropriety. An independent panel investigated the program, including Kojo Annan, and issued a report in 2005 that found no evidence that he tried to influence or to use family connections to benefit from the program.

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore used to buy $500,000 London apartment

Kojo Annan was sole director of the Samoan company Sapphire Holding Ltd, originally incorporated in Niue in 2003, which he had used to buy an apartment in central London. The apartment was purchased in a transaction completed in 2003 for more than $500,000, according to UK records.

A lawyer for Annan responded that his companies “operate in accordance with the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions and, insofar tax liabilities arise, they pay taxes in the jurisdictions in which taxes are due to be paid. In other words, any entity and account held by Mr. Annan has been opened solely for normal, legal purposes of managing family and business matters and has been fully disclosed in accordance with applicable laws.” He also noted that an investigation found no evidence that Annan tried to influence anyone in the UN to award contracts to any company with which he was associated.

Mamadou Pouye, former Senegalese minister

Mamadou Pouye is a childhood friend of Karim Wade, son of Senegal’s former President Abdoulaye Wade, and held several key ministries during his father’s presidency. Karim Wade and Pouye were arrested in April 2013 after investigations into a corruption scandal in which Wade and associates were charged with illegally amassing assets worth $240 million - Pouye was sentenced to five years in prison for complicity in illegal enrichment. 

Inside the Mossack Fonseca data: Offshore companies received millions for consulting services related to the port in Senegal’s capital, Dakar.

Pouye first appeared in Mossack Fonseca’s files in October 2008, instructing the law firm to open a bank account for the Panama company Seabury Inc. Between December 2008 and August 2012, two companies connected to Pouye — the Panamanian Latvae Group, of which he was shareholder, and Seabury, in which his role was unspecified — signed contracts worth about $35 million for consulting and advisory services relating to the port in Senegal’s capital, Dakar. At the corruption trial against Pouye and Karim Wade, which has been criticised by the United Nations and human rights organisations for violating the rights of Wade, Pouye and others, authorities alleged that they enriched themselves through government contracts, involving the port, the airport and other activities.