Two Norwegians and a subsidiary of Petronor have been indicted for bribery of 25 million dollars to the president of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso

The Norwegian prosecutor announced the indictment of two Norwegians and the subsidiary Hemla Africa Holding of the oil group Petronor for bribery of approximately 25 million dollars to the President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, and his family. The main accusation refers to an offshore oil license from 2016, which allowed the president and his family to receive a quarter of the revenues generated from the sale of extracted oil.

Hemla Africa Holding held 75% of the license, while the company MGI International, controlled by the president's family, had 25%. Petronor's shares fell by over 14% after the announcement of the indictment. The two Norwegians, Gerhard Ludvigsen and Knut Sovold, were arrested in 2021 and deny the accusations, claiming that cooperation with local partners is a normal practice in the oil industry.