As the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) intensifies its probes into the wealth of foreign leaders residing in France, attention has sharply turned to the substantial real estate holdings linked to Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé and his immediate circle. From opaque Civil Real Estate Companies (SCIs) to luxury private mansions and active money laundering investigations, this financial dossier sits at the very heart of Franco-Togolese diplomatic relations.

This recurring judicial saga frequently resurfaces within the exclusive salons of Paris’s sixteenth arrondissement and the investigative chambers of the Palais de Justice. While high-profile legal proceedings have long targeted Central African executives such as Théodorin Obiang and the Bongo family, Faure Gnassingbé now faces the legal ramifications concerning assets allegedly acquired through the diversion of Togolese public funds.

Central to these investigations are numerous prestigious properties located across Paris and the Île-de-France region, all under suspicion of having been purchased using illicitly obtained public finances.

A high-stakes preliminary inquiry

In France, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) is conducting a preliminary inquiry aimed at meticulously tracing the origins of funds that facilitated the acquisition of several exceptional assets by members of the Gnassingbé clan and their extended business network.

The financial dealings currently under the scrutiny of investigators from the Central Office for Combating Major Financial Crime (OCRGDF) encompass:

• Complex real estate transactions: This involves eight luxurious Haussmann-style apartments and five private mansions, structured through various Civil Real Estate Companies (SCIs) and reportedly utilizing proxy individuals.
• Sophisticated financial engineering: Investigators are examining the use of offshore bank accounts, specifically two identified in the Fiji Islands, and the involvement of financial intermediaries based in jurisdictions known for their low tax regimes.
• Serious allegations of money laundering and corruption: The PNF’s inquiry in France is particularly focused on the provenance of funds that allowed President Faure Gnassingbé’s entourage to acquire multiple luxury properties, estimated to be worth tens of millions of euros. Magistrates are diligently assessing whether these real estate investments in the Île-de-France region, managed via SCIs, are disproportionately large compared to the head of state’s official annual salary (approximately 70 to 80 million FCFA). The investigation also seeks to determine if these assets are indeed the result of public fund embezzlement. Furthermore, attention is drawn to the President’s personal wealth, estimated by independent investigations and investigative journalism to exceed 3,000 billion FCFA. The dossier also scrutinizes financial flows channeled through long-standing close associates, such as former Minister of State Barry Moussa Barqué, and explores financial arrangements identified in related cases, including concessions at the Autonomous Port of Lomé linked to the Bolloré group.

A real estate legacy and inheritance disputes

The Togolese presidential family’s extensive real estate portfolio in France is not a recent development; its roots trace back to the era of Étienne Eyadéma Gnassingbé, the current head of state’s father. Following his passing in 2005, the management of these significant properties sparked intense family disagreements, further complicated by legal procedures involving seizures and ownership challenges.

Among the prominent addresses frequently cited by investigative journalists and anti-corruption NGOs are three buildings located on Avenue du Maréchal-Maunoury, high-end residential properties within the Hauts-de-Seine department, and additional apartments reportedly acquired more recently during official visits to Paris.

Togo confronts French judicial precedents

For over a decade, the French legal framework concerning