Andry Rajoelina’s chief of staff was arrested Thursday, August 10, in London and indicted for “attempted corruption” with the company Gemfields, specializing in the exploitation and trade of precious stones, announced the British Crime Agency (NCA)Monday August 14, confirming information from FinancialTimes. Romy Voos Andrianarisoa, 46, was accompanied by Philippe Tabuteau, a 54-year-old Frenchman, who was also imprisoned following the operation carried out by the NCA after the denunciation of Gemfields.
The Malagasy and the French would have tried to obtain a commission of 225,000 pounds (260,000 euros) and a 5% stake in the capital of the company, according to the agency in charge of the fight against organized crime. “We thank Gemfields for bringing this matter to our attention and for their cooperation during the investigation”said Andy Kelly, the head of the NCA’s international anti-corruption unit, quoted by the business daily.
The two indicted persons must remain in custody until the hearing in Southwark court scheduled for September 8. Under the Bribery Act 2010, the charges brought – “to have requested, agreed to receive, or received” a financial or other advantage – are subject to fines and imprisonment for up to ten years.
Gemstone deposits
Romy Voos Andrianarisoa has held the post of chief of staff since March and is part of the Malagasy head of state’s close entourage. She had until this appointment made a career in the private sector, notably as country manager of British Petroleum in Madagascar and then of the major China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Until recently, she chaired the Sustainable Development and Business Ethics Commission of the Madagascar Business Group (GEM).
Philippe Tabuteau does not appear in the official organization chart of the presidency, but he belongs, with Gérard Perceau, in charge of the Emergence plan, or Gérard Askinazi, recently recruited to improve the president’s image abroad, to the small group of French with whom Andry Rajoelina surrounded himself. He is Chairman of Impact Capital, a company specializing in advising businesses and governments and headquartered in Geneva. Its ties with Madagascar date back to the late 1990s.
The NCA – which issued an official statement on Monday morning – did not provide further details on the contracts potentially at stake in the talks between Gemfields and the two defendants. The British company has been coveting the abundant resources of Madagascar for a long time without having been able until today to move to an operational phase. In 2008, it acquired the company Oriental Mining, then holder of around fifteen exploration licenses for deposits of sapphires, rubies, emeralds and tourmalines in the regions of Antananarivo, Fianarantsoa and Tulear. But the coup the following year, which had brought Andry Rajoelina to power until 2014, plunged the country into crisis and isolated it internationally. A moratorium on the granting of new mining permits comes into force. It has only just been lifted with the adoption in May of a new mining code. This could explain the resumption of negotiations with Gemfields.
This scandal comes less than four months before the first round of the presidential election scheduled for November 9. Andry Rajoelina has not yet officially announced his candidacy.