The Luxembourg holding company Socfin paid 142,000 euros on Wednesday March 13 to Cameroonian plaintiffs, a penalty imposed by the French justice system for not having produced documents that could establish its links with the French company Bolloré. “The company Socfin [Société Financière des Rubbers] today paid the 142,000 euros it owed to the 145 Cameroonian plaintiffs,” said Fyodor Rilov, the lawyer for these plaintiffs, in a press release sent to AFP . A payment confirmed to AFP by the holding council, Dominique de Leusse de Syon.
These 145 Cameroonian residents have been engaged for many years in proceedings against the Société Camerounaise de Palmeraies (Socapalm), which they accuse of being controlled by the Bolloré group through Socfin. According to them, the exploitation of land near where they live prevents them from accessing land and burial sites and pollutes the water on which they depend.
As part of an interim order against the group and the Luxembourg holding company in September, an investigative measure under penalty was granted to the 145 plaintiffs by the Versailles Court of Appeal. As early as December 2022, this court considered that Socapalm’s activities were “likely to infringe the fundamental rights” of the applicants “and in particular their right to a healthy environment”.
“Duty of vigilance”
The court then requested the production of documents which could, according to the plaintiffs, prove that Socapalm is controlled by the Bolloré group via Socfin, which would subject the French industrial giant to a “duty of vigilance” over its activities. A 2017 law requires the largest companies to prevent serious violations of human rights and the environment among their foreign subcontractors and suppliers.
Failing to obtain the requested documents, a judge ordered payment to the plaintiffs by Socfin of a penalty of 140,000 euros, to which 2,000 euros have since been added in costs. Then, in February, Cameroonian farmers seized the holding company's brand, an action validated by bailiffs, to force Socfin to pay, which has now been done.
“Socfin complies with French judicial decisions, even if they are all subject to appeal,” Me de Leusse de Syon told AFP. Socfin has now produced the requested documents, assures Mr. Rilov. “We will use these documents to launch a substantive action on the basis of the duty of vigilance against Bolloré, Socfin and Socapalm,” he explains to AFP. He believes “he can demonstrate that Bolloré has control of Socfin” and wishes to obtain “remediation measures” where Cameroonians live.
