Alex Beard, Glencore's billionaire former head of oil trading, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to make corrupt payments, in a case brought by the UK's Serious Fraud Office. He appeared alongside his former deputy Andrew Gibson at Southwark crown court, with both men accused of facilitating bribes to government and state oil officials in west Africa to benefit the Swiss commodity giant's operations there.

Beard, 59, is alleged to have been involved in a conspiracy to make corrupt payments to officials in Nigeria between 2010 and 2014 and in Cameroon between 2007 and 2014. Gibson, 66, denied four counts of conspiracy to make corrupt payments relating to Nigeria, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, plus an additional charge of conspiracy to falsify accounting documents. Four other former Glencore traders had already pleaded not guilty to all charges last year, bringing the total number of defendants to six, who are due to stand trial on 4 October 2027.