The US prosecutors are going after Dennis Christel Sasso Nguesso, the son of the President of the Republic of Congo on suspicion of embezzlement of several million dollars from the coffers of the publicly-owned National Society of Petroleum of Congo (SNPC), according to the NGO Global Witness.
This organization confirmed that federal prosecutors in Miami took measures to seize a penthouse in a luxury condominium tower in Miami owned by Sasso Nguesso, 45, also a parliament minister.
Sasso Nguesso bought a property of 325 square meters that was on sale for $ 2.4 million, "with funds he transferred from the company," according to judicial documents that track the suspicious money-laundering network.
The American documents seen by the non-governmental organization explained that in 2010, Sassou Nguesso was appointed "by his father as deputy managing director" of the SNPC, explaining that this "gave him tremendous control over the company, especially over its financial resources."
“Between 2011 and 2014”, the younger Sassou Nguesso “embezzled millions of dollars from the SNPC”, the American judicial document continues.
The funds are deemed to have passed through the accounts of shell companies housed in a subsidiary of the Gabonese bank BGFI-Bank.
“Between April 30, 2009 and April 22, 2016, Minister Nguesso transferred approximatively $10.3 million to bank accounts,” opened by an associate in Florida.
According to the American public prosecutor, this partner is a “US resident” and “son of an ex-official of the Gabonese government”.
The partner allegedly “used the stolen funds to acquire real estate and luxury items” for Sassou Nguesso (son) and his relatives, “including the Miami property”.
"The younger Mr. Nguesso has allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars from SNPC by abusing his positions as deputy director-general of downstream operations at the oil company and took millions more in bribes and by self-dealing," the judicial complaint said.
The family of President Sassou Nguesso in Congo is also exposed to an investigation in France over illegal financial gains.
His father, President Denis Sassou Nguesso, 76, who took office 35 years ago, is a candidate for the presidential elections due in March 2021.
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