Some discrepancies can be blamed on a misplaced decimal point. This one would require the decimal point to travel across several borders.
Between 2021 and 2025, Dubai authorities reportedly recorded around 44 tonnes of gold imported from Cameroon, while Cameroonian customs officially registered only 148 kilograms as exported.
That is a ratio of roughly 300 to one. The value of the missing or undeclared flow has been estimated at about 2,000 billion CFA francs.
Criminal complaints were reportedly filed in Paris on 12 June 2026 against President Paul Biya and around twenty senior officials, relying on arguments linked to universal jurisdiction.
A complaint is not a finding of guilt. French prosecutors must first determine whether the alleged facts fall within their jurisdiction, whether the legal conditions are met and whether sufficient evidence exists to open or continue proceedings.
The discrepancy raises questions about customs controls, mining permits, traceability, export documentation, taxation and the possible use of official channels.
Gold trading is especially vulnerable to illicit flows because production can be fragmented, traders can aggregate material from several sources and destination-country data may not match origin-country declarations.
Cameroon declared 148 kilos; Dubai received 44 tonnes. At that level, the gold did not disappear — the paperwork did.
Key points
- Dubai reportedly recorded about 44 tonnes of Cameroonian gold.
- Cameroonian customs recorded only 148 kilograms.
- The estimated value gap is enormous.
- Complaints were reportedly filed in Paris.
- No judicial finding of individual guilt has been made.
Magouilles & Compagnie verdict
Provisional verdict: the statistical gap is extraordinary; the legal responsibility behind it remains to be established.
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