Two Diplomats Accused of Corruption in America

Back in 2014, Patrick Ho entered the United States’ John F. Kennedy airport with one mission. He had been asked by his company to bribe African officials on behalf of the company. He used to work for a private Chinese conglomerate that is said to have enormous wealth and also had global ambitions. As for Mr. Ho, he used to be a civil servant in Hong Kong before he became a diplomat. He planned to convince the African officials at the United Nations where he would hold meetings with them. His targets were foreign ministers from Uganda and Chad. He promised them millions of dollars. In return, the prosecutors in America have said that the foreign ministers promised to award tenders to the company. These accusations were revealed this week after Mr. Ho was brought to a federal court. He was brought to court alongside Cheikh Gadio, who is said to be his fixer. Mr. Gadio, on the other hand, used to be an official with the Senegalese government. The two have been accused of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. At the same time, they have been accused of money laundering. While Mr. Ho was arrested on Sunday, his counterpart Mr. Gadio was arrested a day earlier.

However, the Chinese company that Mr. Ho used to represent has not been mentioned in the court filings. However, after a small digging, the New York Times learned that the company at hand was CEFC China Energy Company. The justice department also revealed the tactic that had been used by the Chinese company. The target was oil rights in the African countries of Uganda and Chad. The company had used a non-profit organization to convince the officials of these countries. As for Mr. Ho, he used to work in the non-profit institution as an executive. For the last few years, CEFC has risen from nothing to one of the biggest companies around the globe. The company recently acquired a stake of Rosneft worth $9 billion. For starters, Rosneft is the energy giant in Europe owned by the Russian government. The Chinese company has also managed to make investments in other parts of the globe including Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Chinese companies have adopted the tactic of using diplomacy and money to acquire tenders across the globe. It’s worth noting that CEFC has received the backing of the Chinese government. The firm has invested in energy and infrastructure mostly.