Worker Deaths, Ghost Headquarters, and Bribery Accusations: Oil Company Perenco Exposed
Washington, D.C. – A new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA US), Death Behind Closed Doors, shows how top-down control exerted by the French office of the Perenco Group played a pivotal role in the death of six workers – the deadliest offshore accident ever reported in Africa – and sheds light on the possible cover up of the fatal accident through alleged pressuring of witnesses, obstruction of auditors, and an alleged bribe of US $65,000. EIA’s findings, based on more than four years of investigation including conversations with whistleblowers, undercover interviews, and big data analysis, directly contradicts the Perenco Group’s presentation of their corporate functioning, which has shielded the group from legal consequences for alleged pollution, human rights abuses, and labor violations. As of today the families of the African victims have not been compensated, while a source with knowledge of the matter told EIA investigators that the family of the French employee who died had received approximately US $10 million in compensation from Perenco Group and signed a non-disclosure agreement. The French newspaper Le Monde has published a special investigative dossier on the case.
The Perenco Group is one of the largest privately-owned oil and gas companies in the world. Founded by Frenchman Hubert Perrodo in 1975, the company specializes in operating “mature” assets nearing the end of their productive life while minimizing costs. The Perenco Group first tested this model in Gabon, and now operates in 14 oil- and gas-rich countries around the world. The company’s approach has made Hubert’s son Francois Perrodo, who currently chairs the company, one of the wealthiest people in France.
In recent years, this low-cost production model has left the company embroiled in environmental, labor, and human rights accusation in nearly all countries where it operates – including a 300,000 barrel spill in Gabon; lobbying against the establishment of an Indigenous reserve in Peru; alleged chronic air, water, and soil pollution in DRC; environmental damage in the largest protected wetland in Central America; and a damaging spill in Poole Harbour in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2023.
One of the most tragic incidents in the company’s history occurred in March 2024, when an explosion on the Becuna oil platform off the coast of Gabon led to the death of six workers. EIA investigators learned that in the weeks leading up to the explosion, workers were ordered to ignore multiple dangerous pressure surges and to proceed with maintenance operations – allegedly to avoid financial losses for the Perenco Group. The evidence of these surges was omitted from technical reports compiled by the on-site manager, allegedly at the behest of management in Paris.
Fearful for their lives, several workers asked to be transferred to another platform. Whistleblowers who spoke to EIA on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal claimed that the company’s management in the UK and France puts immense pressure on its workers to maximize production, while investing little in infrastructure. They described a toxic workplace culture within the Perenco Group’s operational subsidiaries due to the constant pressure from the group’s Paris and London offices to maintain production at all costs.
According to EIA’s findings, it appears that in the aftermath of the accident, workers improperly disposed of human remains and evidence on the platform in apparent breach of international standards, while the Perenco Group management allegedly intimidated a witness to the disaster and allegedly bribed a prosecutor in the case. Meanwhile, Perenco Group chairman Francois Perrodo raced in multiple sports car events before traveling to Gabon in May 2024.
Alexander von Bismarck, Executive Director at EIA US, explains, “The Perenco Group’s drive to produce oil at all costs has had deadly consequences for workers, communities, and unique ecosystems. No company should be above the law, and the group’s decision makers must be called to account for their actions.”
EIA’s investigation further reveals that to date, the African victims’ families have not been compensated. The family of the on-site manager, a French oil expert who also died in the accident, allegedly received approximately US $10 million in compensation and in return for the signing of a non-disclosure agreement. Multiple sources further alleged that findings from a government-sanctioned report have been hidden from Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema and key figures in his office.
Over the years, the Perenco Group has evaded accountability by alleging that the 100+ subsidiaries of the group are fully autonomous and independent. Experts consulted by EIA explained that this concept, especially in a capital-intensive sector such as the oil and gas industry, makes no sense. As David Collis, a professor at Harvard Business School, explained to EIA, “To my knowledge, there are critical group-level aspects, like financing, budget planning, strategic investment, etc. that simply cannot be handled at the subsidiary level for a group of this size. This would be a first in the energy sector. Tightly controlled coordination across producing subsidiaries, originating from a centralized decision center, needs to happen.”
EIA’s investigation shows that nearly all high-level operational, strategic, financial, and human resources decisions are made by staff in the UK and France. A former Perenco Group country manager explained to EIA investigators that while subsidiary managers can “advise” or offer input, once a decision is made in Paris and London, “it’s your new direction.”
EIA calls on the government of Gabon to establish a task force, directed under the authority of the Gabonese presidency, to investigate the accident and its possible cover-up, and demand immediate compensation for the victims’ families. EIA calls on the French government to investigate the involvement of Perenco France office in the Becuna platform accident in Gabon and its aftermath.
Although EIA offered Perenco Group an opportunity to comment on the findings of its investigation, Perenco Group’s counsel responded that “In light of the timing, the biased and prejudice nature of your questions as well as certain express or implicit underlying assumptions to the same, my client will not comment.” In that letter, Perenco’s counsel did not identify any specific findings that were either incorrect or biased.
Contact:
Luke Allen, Senior Africa Programs Campaigner, EIA US, [email protected]
Holly Koch, Communications & Media Lead, EIA US, [email protected]