Swiss police searched the Geneva offices of the global commodity trading house Gunvor in May 2026 as part of a criminal investigation into suspected bribery of foreign public officials.
In the case opened by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, the case was opened against “persons unknown,” a term they use when they do not yet know who is formally suspected of wrongdoing.
Gunvor said it is not the target of the investigation and is cooperating with authorities.
Gunvor said it had itself alerted investigators about separate issues a year earlier, including alleged fraudulent overcharging linked to a maritime service provider, Bloomberg reported.
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The search is the latest reminder of the scrutiny facing Switzerland’s commodity trading sector, particularly in Geneva, where many of the world’s largest oil and metals traders are based. Gunvor has long been one of the most prominent names in that industry, and any law-enforcement action at its Geneva headquarters is likely to draw attention well beyond Switzerland.
According to reports, the alleged misconduct discussed in the company’s own statement concerns about $2 million in fraudulent overcharges over a five-year period, which Gunvor says it discovered during an internal review and reported to the relevant authorities. The company says it filed a criminal complaint in the United Arab Emirates and dismissed a former employee in connection with the issue.
Public Eye, the Swiss NGO, has linked the search to a 2024 Gunvor loan to the government of Gabon that helped a state oil company buy assets from producer Assala Energy. In return, Gunvor secured exclusive rights to market the crude from the oil fields, a deal that critics say illustrates the opaque role trading houses can play in resource-rich countries.
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