A French Appeal Court in Paris yesterday rejected the demand of the Transparency International (TI) organization for leave to open a probe in France into the estates of three African heads of state.

According to TI, the three leaders – Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea and the late Omar Bongo of Gabon – have assets in France totaling 160 million euros. The group said the Bongo family alone owned some 30 luxurious houses and apartments in France.

In a joint communiqué, TI and a network of international legal practitioners, named SHERPA, termed the appeal court's decision "unfortunate" as "there is no doubt that the properties in question could not have been acquired by the salaries of the heads of state in question, and this undoubtedly  leads to the presumption of misappropriation of public funds."

TI made its demand in December 2008. According to the appeal court in Paris, TI failed to prove that the suit was not based on personal or economic prejudice. The court's decision has been welcomed by legal representatives of the three leaders.

According to Patrick Maisonneuve, a legal representative of the Bongo family, "no organisation can be allowed to make decisions for the citizens of another country." He has commenced an action against TI for "defamation."

Article adapted and translated from the original French by Michael Tantoh from reports in Fasozine and Le Potentiel.