A report by the Cameroonian Ministry of Finance reveals a massive fraud of 1,745 billion FCFA (approximately 2.8 billion USD) involving the company SGS Cameroun S.A.. This multinational, responsible for scanning at the Autonomous Port of Douala, is accused of orchestrating an organized customs fraud between 2021 and 2023, with the alleged complicity of its employees and several economic operators.
The investigations by the General Directorate of Customs (DGD) highlight a sophisticated system where 1,537 import declarations were fraudulently validated as "not subject" to inspections. Goods would have thus passed through the port of Douala without paying the duties and taxes owed to the State. Investigators suspect SGS employees of actively participating in these falsifications, in collusion with importers.
This fraudulent mechanism caused a colossal loss for the Cameroonian public treasury, amounting to 1,745 billion FCFA. This sum could have been allocated to financing development projects in the health, education and infrastructure sectors. Instead, the funds were allegedly fraudulently transferred to fictitious entities abroad. The DGD has transmitted the list of operators involved to the National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF), responsible for tracing the money laundering and corruption circuits linked to this case. ANIF identified nearly 1,700 billion FCFA of suspicious financial flows in 2023, representing an increase of 180%.
The report of the Ministry of Finance is unequivocal: the shortcomings have been formally attributed to SGS employees. It is recommended to remove SGS from its scanning operations at the Autonomous Port of Douala in favor of a more reliable and transparent structure. The report also recommends that SGS assume its responsibility by paying a token fine of 2 billion FCFA, without prejudice to ongoing legal proceedings. The head of department of MINFI has also called for further investigations to identify all beneficiaries involved in this fraud and to verify the role of the members of the Monitoring Committee of the contract between the State and SGS.
Faced with the scale of the scandal, voices are being raised to demand an independent commission of inquiry to shed light on the responsibilities of SGS and any internal complicity within the customs administration. The newspaper L'Info by Georges Messouane devoted several columns to this affair, stressing that the Cameroonian people expect answers and sanctions. This fraud undermines citizens' confidence in the State, slows down economic projects and fuels corruption. The ANIF, the DGD, the Ministry of Finance and the competent jurisdictions are now in charge of this sensitive case. The conclusions of the Cameroonian justice system are eagerly awaited.
In January 2026, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute ordered the maintenance of the contract linking the State of Cameroon to Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) for the scanning of goods at the port of Douala-Bonaberi.
