Herakles Farms Practices Racial Discrimination

Court of First Instance Limbe (CFIL) has fined Herakles Farms US$ 4,600,000 for practicing racial discrimination in its recruitment policy.

CFIL reached its expeditious verdict after Cameroonian born Senior Vice President for Financial Operations in Herakles Farms alias Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC), Blessed Okoye sued the American company for wrongful termination.

The Senior Vice President holds a PhD in Agricultural Biotechnology and a long experience in project management. He was fired and replaced by an Australian who is an academic and managerial dwarf compared to the Cameroonian. The Autralian holds only a certificate in accounting and no management experience.

Magistrate Chi Valentine of CFIL said he used international conventions that proscribe racial discrimination in employment to reach his verdict.

“Cameroon Constitution holds that Cameroon Laws are monished by International Conventions to which it is signatory. Being a multinational company, Herakles Farms should abide by international covenants.” Said Magistrate Chi Valentine.

Herakles Farms obtained a temporary land concession to clear 19,843 hectares of rain forest to plant oil palms from President Paul Biya of Cameroon in November 2013. The company earlier applied for over 73,086 hectares. Pressure from local and international non-governmental organizations caused the Cameroon authorities to drastically reduce the proposed concession to nearly a quarter of the original application.

Herakles Farms has been accused of not respecting environmental impacts and refusing to subscribe to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The company is also accused of ignoring to get the consent of the local communities in its appropriation of its lands.

Corruption and intimidation has been Herakles Farms' way of doing business in Cameroon. It arrested and detained Nasako Bessingi of SEFE in Mundemba in 2012. He is to report to the Mundemba courts in the days ahead to answer charges of defamation proffered against him by Herakles Farms.

Herakles Farms was suspended in May 2013 for illegal logging of hundreds of hectares of economic value timber without logging permits.

Many believe Herakles Farms is more interested in making quick profits from timber and selling off the proposed plantation.

The company has a right to appeal the judgment. The confident Magistrate Chi Valentine doubts the grounds of appeal. However, he says the company still has to pay costs to the former Senior Vice President for him to continue living.

Herakles Farms troubles are not at an end as yet. NGOs are still opposed to the oil palm plantation saying it is in an ecologically sensitive area of high conservation value. The CEO of the company, Bruce Wrobel died suddenly at the age of 56 in December 2013. Financial institutions are not so ready to spend a dime on the liability which Herakles Farms has become.

Fon Christopher Achobang
Social Commentator, Human rights activist
Mbengwi County
The Cameroons
Tel, (237) 99365954
(237) 74211066