Bollore Ordered to Trial on African Bribery Charges

French billionaire Vincent Bolloré has been ordered to stand trial in Paris on charges of bribery and breach of trust linked to presidential election campaigns in Togo and Guinea more than a decade ago. The Paris criminal court will hear the case from December 7 to 17, following a decision by investigating judges on March 19 that rejected a prior plea deal and advanced the long-running probe known as the African ports affair.

Prosecutors allege that between 2009 and 2011, subsidiaries of the Bolloré Group provided communication services at below-market rates to the campaigns of Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé and Guinean President Alpha Condé. In exchange, the company is accused of securing favorable concessions to operate key ports in Lomé, Togo, and Conakry, Guinea. The charges against Bolloré include bribery of a foreign public official in Togo and complicity in breach of trust in both countries. Some reports specify that the alleged bribery occurred in Puteaux, a suburb of Paris.

Two other executives face trial alongside Bolloré. Gilles Alix, former director general of the Bolloré Group, is charged with bribery of a foreign public official and breach of trust....