French Billionaire’s Arrest Casts a Spotlight on Murky West Africa Deals

French Billionaire’s Arrest Casts a Spotlight on Murky West Africa Deals
French billionaire Vincent Bollore arrives at the French Senate, Paris, June 22, 2016 in Paris (AP photo by Kamil Zihnioglu).

Editor’s Note: Every Friday, WPR Senior Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent.

The arrest took place in a Paris suburb, but its ramifications may be felt most acutely thousands of miles to the south, in West Africa.

On Tuesday, Vincent Bollore, the French billionaire and head of the Bollore Group, was detained in Nanterre for questioning over the circumstances under which the holding company obtained major port deals in Guinea and Togo. He was placed under formal investigation the following day.

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