British American Tobacco accused of corruption and espionage in Africa

British American Tobacco reportedly distributed more than €500,000 in ten African countries over a five-year period in an effort to influence public health regulations, according to a report published by the NGO Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP).[1].

The STOP report claims that the tobacco giant, particularly from its headquarters in London, has multiplied illegal operations in Burundi, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, as well as Zambia. According to the investigation conducted by the NGO, between 2008 and 2013, British American Tobacco is said to have organized networks of informants, practiced industrial espionage and made hundreds of dubious payments.

A network of informants and bribes to maintain its domination in Africa

To maintain its dominant position, British American Tobacco, which at the time of the investigation controlled between 51% and 79% of the national markets in southern Africa, ran a secret network of informants, using illegal means of surveillance to spy on competing local companies. According to the report, this surveillance network, under the guise of combating illicit trade, allegedly used GPS trackers and drones to inform the tobacco company about the activities of rival companies.

The report also shows that the tobacco giant has repeatedly used bribery to influence regulations. According to STOP, more than €500,000 was distributed in the form of campaign donations, cars and cash to politicians, civil servants and employees of competing local companies.

British American Tobacco headquarters involved

The documents analysed for the investigation highlight that BAT's head office in London was not only aware of these practices, but was also very involved in their organisation. Some members of the London office were even on site to train field staff. This element gives an additional dimension to the case, in that it suggests that the practices denounced in Africa are not accidental and marginal in the functioning of the company, but that they are the result of a strategy validated and developed by the head office, and that they engage the full responsibility of the latter, as well as that of its senior executives.

A growing body of embarrassing evidence

These revelations corroborate the findings of the investigation conducted by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the BBC and the University of Bath, which demonstrated BAT's involvement in spying on competitors and negotiating bribes in Zimbabwe. In addition to crossing the boundaries of legality, the strategies implemented by British American Tobacco contribute to maintaining and spreading the tobacco epidemic in Africa. While cigarette sales are declining worldwide, Africa is the only region in which tobacco consumption is increasing, suggesting a long-term health disaster.

FT

[1] Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP), British American Tobacco in South Africa: Any Means Necessary, (accessed 09/14/2021)

National Committee Against Smoking |