Latest news with #arbitraryarrest
BBC News
14 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham return to South Africa from jail in Equatorial Guinea
Two South African engineers have returned home after spending more than two years in jail in Equatorial Guinea on what the UN has called "arbitrary and illegal" drugs Potgieter and Peter Huxham, both in their mid-50s, were arrested in February 2023 after drugs were allegedly found in their were sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $5m (£4m) but have been given a presidential pardon after a long campaign by their families and the South African arrest came days after luxury assets belonging to Equatorial Guinea's Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang were seized in South Africa. A yacht and two Cape Town villas belonging to Obiang, who is also the son of Equatorial Guinea's president, were impounded in execution of a court ruling."We are overwhelmed with relief and joy. The last two years and four months have been unimaginably painful for both of our families," according to a statement released by the two men's were working for the Dutch oil and gas company SBM in Equatorial Guinea when they arrested the night before they were due to return home after a five-week stint in the families had called for the assistance of the South African government as well as that of the UK government, as Mr Huxham has dual nationality."South Africa expresses its sincere gratitude to the Government of Equatorial Guinea for considering and ultimately granting this Presidential pardon, allowing Mr Huxham and Mr Potgieter to return home to their loved ones," said a post on X by South African Foreign Minister Ronald United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention last year called for the pair's release, saying their detention was families say the pair were arrested in retaliation for the seizure of the assets belonging to Equatorial Guinea's BBC has contacted Equatorial Guinea for comment.A South African official told the BBC it was for the courts to decide the fate of the yacht and villas, and the government couldn't intervene. You may also be interested in: Equatorial Guinea VP's superyacht and homes seized in South AfricaThe president's son who loves Bugattis and Michael JacksonWorld's longest-serving president to continue 43-year-rule Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Orano Takes Legal Action Over Arbitrary Detention of One of Its Staff in Niger
PARIS, May 13, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News: The management of Orano has still received no information regarding the director of Orano Mining Niger, after the Nigerien security services raided the offices of its subsidiaries SOMAÏR, COMINAK, IMOURAREN SA and Orano Mining in Niamey on Monday, May 5th. During this intrusion in the premises, electronic devices and cellphones belonging to all staff were seized and the managing directors of these subsidiaries were held and interrogated in their offices. Following this operation, the director of Orano Mining Niger is reported to have been taken to the headquarters of the Nigerien General Directorate of External Documentation and Surveillance (Direction Générale de la Documentation et de la Sécurité Extérieure, DGDSE). Following this arbitrary, extra-judicial arrest, it has proven impossible to establish any communication with him and the police is still preventing access to subsidiary offices at Niamey. Orano deplores this intervention, for which no legal basis nor reason has been offered, and has therefore decided to file a suit with the courts of the Republic of Niger for arbitrary arrest, illegal detention and unjust confiscation of the property of Nigerien companies, subsidiaries of Orano and the State of Niger itself. The Group once again expresses its deep concern at this situation and is doing everything it can to support its arrested colleague and the teams affected. Orano's top priority remains the security of all of its staff. For the record, last December, Orano observed that it had lost control of subsidiaries in Niger, and opened several international arbitration proceedings against the State of Niger. About OranoAs a leading international operator in the field of nuclear materials, Orano delivers solutions to address present and future global energy and health challenges. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services throughout the entire fuel cycle. Every day, the Orano group's 17,500 employees draw on their skills, unwavering dedication to safety and constant quest for innovation, with the commitment to develop know-how in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the climate and for a healthy and resource-efficient world, now and tomorrow. Orano, giving nuclear energy its full value. View source version on Contacts Press Office +33 (0)1 34 96 12 15press@ Investor relations Marc Quesnoyinvestors@
