Case File

Defex’s Dirty Decades: Arms Sales to Cameroon

Author
B. Arneson & Jack Cinamon
Published on
September 9, 2025
Image
Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
Cameroonian Army officers
Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

Contents

Contents

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Introduction

Introduction

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Defex, S.A. was a Spanish state-owned company created in 1972 to promote the export of Spain’s defense and security products. It was majority-owned by the Spanish government through the Spanish state-owned industrial holding company, Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) and supported by several government ministries and private defence companies. The company entered voluntary dissolution in 2017 and officially liquidated in 2022, after being accused of paying millions in illegal commission to secure weapons contracts across several countries, including Algeria, Brazil, Cameroon, Egypt, Gabon, Saudi Arabia and Senegal.

From 1999 to 2013, Defex signed a series of multi-million-euro contracts with the Government of Cameroon to supply military and security equipment, including vehicles, vessels, surveillance systems, riot gear and more. Defex subcontracted various Spanish companies for the supply of such equipment. These deals were facilitated through a middleman, French arms dealer Philippe Bourcier on the ground in Yaoundé, who earned millions of euros in commissions while also establishing a complex network of shell companies to facilitate kickbacks to dozens of senior officials to secure the deal.

The key figure managing these deals for Defex was a man named Manuel Iglesias-Sarria, Commercial Director at the time, who coordinated contracts and negotiations with both suppliers and Cameroonian officials. Over €14 million was paid in commissions to agents who siphoned funds to various politicians and others - raising serious concerns about corruption and irregularities, which later led to legal scrutiny and the company’s dissolution.

Case Details

Case details

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Seller country
Spain
Seller company
Defex, and others
Buyer country
Cameroon
Goods category
Electronics, Law Enforcement Equipment, Small Arms & Light Weapons, Surveillance Equipment, Warships, Spare Parts
Equipment sold
Ships, vehicles, motorcycles, radars, air traffic controls, coastal surveillance systems, shin guards, bulletproof vests, machine guns, grenade launchers, grenades.
Deal value
At least €103,055,903 ($139,469,418) (EUR 103 million)
Sum involved in corruption
€14,642,817.10 ($19,816,673) (EUR 14.6 million)
Start year
1999
End year
2023
Outcome status
Trial Closed - Some Convictions

Actors

Actors

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  • Defex S.A.: Now-dissolved Spanish company, founded in 1972; headquartered in Madrid, Spain; was 51% state-owned and 49% privately held; exported defence equipment on behalf of the Spanish government, focusing primarily on arms sales; its board included ministers of defence, finance, foreign affairs, and economy. The company allegedly paid millions in bribes to secure contracts globally, including deals with Cameroon; liquidated in 2022.

  • Deimos Space S.L.U: Spanish arms and technology company; founded in 2001; headquartered in Madrid, Spain; acquired by Indra Sistemas on 1 November 2024; established a subsidiary in Cameroon, Deimos Space Sucursal Cameroon.

  • Aresa Marine S.L.: Spanish arms company specialising in ship building; founded in 1961; headquartered in Barcelona, Spain.

  • Urovesa (URO, Vehículos Especiales, S.A.): Spanish arms company; founded in 1981; headquartered in Galacia, Spain; specialising in the production of military vehicles.

  • EADS Construcciones Aeronáuticas (now Airbus Defence and Space SA): Spanish arms company; founded in 1923 as Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA); headquartered in Madrid, Spain; in 1999 it became a subsidiary of the The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) under the name EADS CASA; acquired by Airbus in 2009.

  • General Dynamics European Land Systems: Subsidiary of US arms company, General Dynamics; multiple locations across Europe; headquartered in Madrid, Spain; supplied grenade launchers.

  • Equipamientos SDAL: Spanish arms company; formed in 1998; headquartered in Madrid, Spain; supplied machine guns.

  • Nammo Palencia SL: Spanish subsidiary of Norwegian arms company Nammo after acquisition in 2013; headquartered in Palencia, Spain; specialising in ammunition; supplied grenades.

  • Rybosa S.A.R.L.: One of Philippe Bourcier’s shell companies; registered in Yaoundé, Cameroon; used for the payment of kickbacks to third parties.

  • KB Consultants Limited: One of Philippe Bourcier’s shell companies; registered in Essex, England; dissolved in 2020; used for the payment of kickbacks to third parties; dissolved in 2020.

  • Ferwell Engineering Ltd: One of Philippe Bourcier’s shell companies; registered in Tortola, British Virgin Islands; used for the payment of kickbacks to third parties; dissolved in 2013.

  • ESS Group Ltd: One of Philippe Bourcier’s shell companies; registered in Yaoundé, Cameroon, with another address in Tortola, British Virgin Islands; used for the payment of kickbacks to third parties.

  • Bosa Engineering Consulting Ltd: One of Philippe Bourcier’s shell companies, registered in Rochdale-Greater Manchester, England; used for the payment of kickbacks to third parties; dissolved in 2020.

  • Unirex Business S.A.: One of Philippe Bourcier’s shell companies, registered in Tortula, British Virgin Islands; used for the payment of kickbacks to third parties.

  • Bedderton Ltd: One of Philippe Bourcier’s shell companies; registered in London, England; used for the payment of kickbacks to third parties.

  • Interconsultants & Associates: Believed to be one of Philippe Bourcier’s shell companies; registered in Glasgow, Scotland; dissolved in 2019.

  • Eston Limited: Named in the court papers for facilitating payments, although information on the company is obscure; dissolved in 2011.

  • Manuel Iglesias Sarriá Fernandez de Navarrete: Former commercial director (2004-2013) and director of operations (2014) of Defex; had control over the terms of execution of the contracts with Cameroon; sentenced to two years in prison for corruption.

  • Oscar López i Salvadó: President of Aresa; sentenced to 2 years in prison for corruption.

  • Francisco Luque Ramírez: Commercial Director of Deimos; acquitted of all charges.

  • Philippe Bourcier: French arms dealer and commissions agent; the role of his various consultancy-commission companies were central to the investigation; named in the Panama Papers for his role specifically linked to Ferwell Engineering Ltd; received payment directly from Defex; currently a fugitive from justice.

  • Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o: Former Cameroonian Minister of Defense; in 2023 he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for embezzling more than $38 million public funds in a different case.

  • Martin Mbarga Nguélé: Cameroon’s General Delegate for Presidential Security.

  • Laurent Esso: Served in the Government of Cameroon as Minister of Justice (1996), Minister of Public Health (2000), Minister of Defence (2001), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2004), Minister of State (2006), and again as Minister of Justice (2011).

  • Romain Ngongang: Head of the planning department in the city of Yaoundé, of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development of Cameroon; received €186,211.99.

  • Johnny Razack: Former Director in the General Secretariat of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Cameroon, in the Government Mail Directorate; Secretary General at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (2015-2025); current chairman of the National Investment Corporation of Cameroon (SNI); received €3,030.

  • Colonel Evengane Foumane Gervais: General Controller of the Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence (2023), former Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Cameroon in Paris (2018); received €35,000.

  • Essomba Abanda Simon: Secretary General in the Coordinating Committee of the World Trade Organization of the Ministry of Commerce in Yaoundé, Cameroon; former General Secretariat of Industry, Mines and Technological Development; received €67,016.93.

  • Jean Bernard Avouma: Former Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of Gabon; current Ambassador of Gabon to Turkey; received €18,697.48.

  • Leopold Maxime Eko Eko: Former Director-General of the Directorate General for External Research, Cameroon; currently on trial for the murder of an anti-corruption investigative journalist Arsene Salomon Mbani Zogo; received €12,559.02.

  • Vice Admiral Pierre Njiné Djonkam: Central director of monitoring the maintenance of major equipment for the defense forces at the Ministry of Defense; the recipient of gifts from Defex; played a decisive role in the procurement of public contracts with the Cameroonian authorities; received €14,000.

  • Blaise Essomba Ngoula: General Director of the Cooperative and of the Regional Integration of MINEPAT of Cameroon (2004-2013); received €23,545.33.

  • Brigadier General Jean Calvin Momha: Brigadier General of Aviation of Chief of Staff of the Cameroonian Air Force; received €27,000.

  • Mustapha Berraf: Former Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Tourism of France; parliamentary of Algeria; received €7,027.93.

  • Oumar Guèye: Senegalese politician, former Minister of Transport and Tourism, former Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, and current Minister of Territorial Communities, Development and Land Use Planning in the Senegalese government; received €9,973.02.

  • Veronique Mbei: Wife of Pierre Njine Djonkam; received €5,800.

  • Manuela Lembouma: Wife of the First Councillor of the Embassy of Gabon, and member of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Gabon to the United States, United Nations; received €4,285.71.

  • Josiane Florence Ngoumou: Lawyer; allegedly facilitating payments; received €50,000.

Timeline

Timeline

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1999
  • Defex signs its first contract with the Ministry of Defence of Cameroon for the supply of ships and trucks for a total €13,720,330.
2000
  • Defex S.A. signed another contract with the General Delegation for Presidential Security of Cameroon, for the supply of 25 Nissan vehicles and 50 Yamaha motorcycles, for a total amount of €1,085,437.
2003
  • Defex signed a new contract with the General Delegation for Presidential Security of Cameroon, which was intended to supply various materials, amounting to €10,698,954.
2004
  • Defex signed another contract with the General Delegation for Presidential Security, which was for the supply of 25 Suzuki vehicles, for a total amount of €470,032.
  • Bourcier’s firm, KB Consultants Limited, were paid 5% of the contract value in commissions of these contracts, while his shell company, Interconsultants & Associates, were paid 5-8.5% for acting as agents in the transactions.
2006
  • Five minor contracts under €40,000 each were signed between Defex and the Cameroonian government for the supply of vehicles and vessels. As agents of Defex, KB Consultants earned 3.92–5% and Ferwell Engineering 3.92–12% in commissions.
  • The corruption allegations would eventually centre around five major contracts: PRE97 (spare parts), PRE126 worth €120,000 (military vehicle spare parts), PRE174 (coastal surveillance systems), PRE177 (protective body armour) and PRE204 (weaponry).
2010
  • 18 NovPRE174: Defex’s largest contract with Cameroon marked a shift from earlier minor deals. This occurred when it signed a framework agreement in Yaoundé, between Manuel Iglesias-Sarriá Cameroon’s Defense Ministry represented by Defense Minister, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o, to implement Project PRE174, for an Integrated Coastal Surveillance System.
  • The project included advanced radar, air traffic control, and coastal surveillance systems, executed in three tranches totaling €99,354,867 million, which included the Radar Sector (€36,359,079), the Naval Sector (€32,699,745) and the Air Sector (€30,296,043). Each tranche was handled by a subcontractor: Deimos Space SL and Urovesa (Tranche A), Aresa Marino SL (Tranche B), and EADS Construcciones Aeronáuticas, now Airbus Defence and Space SA (Tranche C). Cameroon financed the purchase through a Supercari loan from Deutsche Bank, insured by the Spanish Export Credit Insurance Company, SA (CESCE). Three commission agents - Bourcier and his companies KB Consultants and Rybosa - facilitated the deal. Defex and its subcontractors earned €72,361,733 in profit.
2011
  • 20 JunContract PRE177 was signed by Manuel Iglesias-Sarria for the Spanish company, and by Martin Mbarga Nguélé, General Delegate for Presidential Security, and Laurent Esso, Secretary General of the Presidency of Cameroon. It covered the supply of 379 shin guards (€76,224) and 286 bulletproof vests (€152,548).
2012
  • 21 AugContract PRE204, worth €3,352,264, covered the supply of 18 machine guns (Equipamientos SDAL), 8 grenade launchers (General Dynamics European Land Systems), and 9,000 grenades (Nammo Palencia SL). It was signed between the Cameroonian Ministry of Defence, represented by Colonel Adji Gadjama and Rear Admiral Pierre Njine Djonkan, and the Spanish company DEFEX, represented by Manuel Iglesias-Sarria.

Outcomes

Investigation Outcomes

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2014
  • Defex came under investigation by Spain’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office after suspicions arose regarding its dealings in Angola. The investigation later extended to several countries, including Algeria, Brazil, Cameroon, Egypt, Gabon, Saudi Arabia and Senegal.
2017
  • AprThe Board of Directors of the Spanish state-owned industrial holding company, Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) decided to request authorisation from the Council of Ministers for the Members’ Voluntary Liquidation of Defex.
  • 10 OctDefex’s board agrees to its dissolution.
2019
  • 28 JanThe National Court proposes to prosecute the company Defex and its commercial director for contracts in Cameroon. Under investigation would be five specific contracts: PRE97, PRE126, PRE174, PRE177 and PRE204.
  • The accused persons were: Manuel Iglesias Sarria Fernandez de Navarrete, Oscar López i Salvadó, Francisco Luque Ramirez, Defex, Aresa Marine, Deimos Space.
  • The investigation revealed that Bourcier and his companies charged illegal commissions disguised as agency and consultancy fees rather than legitimate business services. A total of €14,642,817.10 was paid into his personal and company accounts, including Unirex, Bosa, Bedderton, KB Consultants, Rybosa, ESS Group. Funds were shuffled between these shell companies to conceal payments and bribes to senior politicians and others.
  • Defex paid commissions through consultancy and service contracts with companies owned by the intermediary, Bourcier. The commissions were disguised as “consulting” or “service” fees, calculated as a percentage of the contract value agreed between Defex and the Cameroonian Ministry of Defence. Identified public officials received €414,147.42, as confirmed by bank records.
  • Amongst those that received payments were: Romain Ngongang, Johnny Razack, Colonel Evengane Foumane Gervais, Essomba Abanda Simon, Jean Bernard Avouma, Leopold Maxime Eko Eko, Vice Admiral Pierre Njiné Djonkam, Blaise Essomba Ngoula, Jean Calvin Momha, Mustapha Berraf, Oumar Guèye, Veronique Mbei, Manuela Lembouma.
  • According to case records, the profit from the largest contract, PRE174, also stemmed from bribery involving Vice Admiral Pierre Njine Djonkam, the Cameroonian official overseeing the contracts, and his team. Defex’s commercial head, Iglesias-Sarriá, and Aresa Marino SL’s Óscar López i Salvadó covered various expenses to ensure their "goodwill and help in obtaining and maintaining the signed contracts." This included gifts, trips to Barcelona, hotels, furniture, and even cosmetic surgery for Njine’s wife, Veronique Mbei, paid directly by Defex.
2022
  • 17 SepThe Council of Ministers agreed to the liquidation of Defex.
2023
  • 28 FebThe prosecution sought 23 years in prison for Iglesias Sarria; 18 years in prison for López i Salvadó and Luque Ramirez, as well as almost €109 million from Defex, over €102 million from Aresa and over €91 million from Deimos, in fines and confiscations. However, the National Court acquitted Defex and Aresa of corruption related to Cameroonian arms contracts. It sentenced Defex’s former commercial director, Iglesias-Sarria, and Aresa’s Óscar López to two years for corruption - with reduced sentences due to delays - but acquitted them of document falsification, embezzlement, and money laundering. Luque Ramirez and Deimos were acquitted of all charges. Bourcier, the French arms dealer, and intermediary for Defex in Cameroon since 1999, remains a fugitive from justice.
  • 18 OctThe Court of Appeal, in Madrid, confirms the ruling.
  • This was, however, a fortunate acquittal for Defex. The acquittal was due to the crimes occurring between 2005 and September 2014 - before a 2015 legal reform made state-owned companies criminally liable. As a result, the court gave the commercial director the minimum sentence and did not assess Defex’s actions under current laws.
  • Meanwhile, the National Court is preparing trials over Defex’s police equipment sales to Angola and 11 military contracts with Saudi Arabia. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor is pursuing further charges, while the Spanish government has abandoned plans to create a replacement for Defex in order to avoid further scandals.

References

References

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  • Africa Intelligence, “French arms broker lost in limbo of Cameroon justice system”, 10 March 2025, https://www.africaintelligence.com/central-africa/2025/03/10/french-arms-broker-lost-in-limbo-of-cameroon-justice-system,110384207-art

  • Agence France-P, “Trial of Murdered Cameroon Journalist Delayed”, VEO Africa, 26 March 2024, https://www.voaafrica.com/a/trial-of-murdered-cameroon-journalist-delayed/7542838.html

  • Aurore Bonny, “Cameroon's ex-defense minister gets 30 years in jail for corruption”, Anadolu Ajansı, 2 February 2023https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/cameroons-ex-defense-minister-gets-30-years-in-jail-for-corruption/2804761

  • Deimos, https://deimos-space.com/

  • Elena G. Sevillano and Óscar López-Fonseca, “Spanish High Court probes 23 years of bribery in arms sales to Saudi Arabia”, El Pais, 24 October 2018, https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/10/24/inenglish/1540364892_173612.html

  • Investigative Consortium of Investigative Journalists, “Mr. Philippe Bourcier”, https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/nodes/12199925

  • Ivan Caceres Rodriguez, “The Prosecutor's Office is seeking 23 years in prison for Manuel Iglesias-Sarrià for the Defex scheme in Cameroon”, 12 September 2019, https://confilegal.com/20190912-la-fiscalia-pide-23-anos-de-carcel-para-manuel-iglesias-sarria-por-la-trama-defex-en-camerun/amp/

  • Nammo, https://www.nammo.com/location/palencia/

  • National Court, “Preliminary Proceedings 122/2015 Defex Cameroon”, Central Court of Instruction Number 5, 28 January 2019, https://www.cita.es/auto/defex-camerun.pdf

  • Poder Judicial Espana, “The National Court acquits Defex for the contracts awarded in Cameroon and sentences its former commercial director to two years in prison”, 28 February 2023, https://www.poderjudicial.es/cgpj/es/Poder-Judicial/Noticias-Judiciales/La-Audiencia-Nacional-absuelve-a-Defex-por-las-adjudicaciones-en-Camerun-y-condena-a-dos-anos-de-carcel-a-su-exdirector-comercial

  • Poder Judicial Espana, “The National Court confirms the acquittal of DEFEX for the contracts awarded in Cameroon and the two-year sentence for its former commercial director”, 18 October 2023, https://www.poderjudicial.es/cgpj/es/Poder-Judicial/Noticias-Judiciales/La-Audiencia-Nacional-confirma-la-absolucion-de-DEFEX-por-las-adjudicaciones-en-Camerun-y-la-pena-de-dos-anos-a-su-exdirector-comercial

  • Quico Sallés, “A legal twist of fate acquits the state-owned arms giant accused of bribery”, El Mon, 3 December 2023, https://elmon.cat/es/politica-es/tribunales/absuelve-gran-empresa-armas-estatal-sobornos-629297/