Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina’s former chief of staff was convicted of bribery by a British court on Tuesday, UK law enforcement said.
Romy Andrianarisoa, 47, had denied seeking a bribe from a British mining company to secure licences to operate in Madagascar, which lies off southeastern Africa.
She was found guilty by a jury at a London court and will be sentenced on March 18, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said in a statement.
Andrianarisoa was charged in August last year alongside 54-year-old French national Philippe Tabuteau, who pleaded guilty in September.
They tried to solicit a bribe from mining firm Gemfields for help securing a joint mining venture with the Madagascan government.
They sought about £225,000 ($285,000) in “upfront charges”, as well as a five-percent equity stake in a proposed licence deal that could have been worth $5 million, according to the NCA.
The agency said Andrianarisoa “made it clear that she had a direct line to, and significant influence with, the country’s leadership”.
The pair could each face up to 10 years in prison.
Gemfields reported Andrianarisoa to the NCA, which investigates serious, organised and trans-national crime.
After her arrest in central London last August, she was suspended with immediate effect, the Madagascan presidency said at the time.
Gemfields mines and markets coloured gemstones, specialising in emeralds mined from Zambia and rubies from Mozambique, according to its website.
It does not currently operate any mines in Madagascar but owns Madagascar-based Oriental Mining, which does reportedly hold licences to mine there.
Rajoelina, 49, was re-elected in November in a ballot that was boycotted by most opposition candidates.
He first took power in 2009 on the back of a coup. After not contesting in the 2013 election due to international pressure, he was voted back into office in 2018.
NGO Transparency International ranked Madagascar 145 out of 180 countries in its 2023 corruption perceptions index.