Public Finance
Odebrecht: EC$93.8 million recovered, nine years later, and two officials quietly removed
The Odebrecht scandal ran through governments across Latin America and the Caribbean for years. In Antigua, it took nine years to reach a forfeiture. Two officials were removed. The public never saw the full picture of who else was paid.
Archive note
This file distinguishes between allegation, documented record, government response, and unresolved public-interest questions.
What is alleged
The public case
Antiguan officials received bribes from the Odebrecht bribery network — the largest corruption scandal ever to emerge from Latin America and the Caribbean — in exchange for inflated or fictitious infrastructure contracts. US prosecutors alleged that approximately US$8 million in bribes were channelled through two offshore Antiguan banks to senior officials. The ONDCP obtained a court forfeiture of EC$93.8 million (approximately USD$14M+ and €17M) from Creswell Overseas SA, a shell company linked to the network.
Why it matters
EC$93.8 million was extracted from the public interest through bribery and fictitious infrastructure contracts. Two officials were removed, but the full list of those implicated was never published. If nearly a hundred million dollars in forfeited proceeds are not matched by accountability for everyone involved, the public still does not know who was paid or what public contracts they distorted.
Official response
What government says
The ONDCP brought the forfeiture action and recovered EC$93.8 million. Honorary Consul Louis Franka was dismissed and Ambassador to the UAE Casroy James resigned after being asked to clarify his involvement. No further officials have been publicly named.
What is documented so far
Finding 01
The Antiguan ONDCP secured a court-ordered forfeiture of EC$93.8 million from Creswell Overseas SA — a shell company linked to the Odebrecht bribery and money-laundering network.
Finding 02
The recovered amount includes approximately USD$14 million and €17 million in currencies — reflecting how the scheme moved money across jurisdictions to obscure its origins.
Finding 03
Two Antiguan officials were removed: Honorary Consul Louis Franka was dismissed, and Ambassador to the UAE Casroy James resigned after being asked to clarify his role. No further names have been published.
Finding 04
US prosecutors alleged approximately US$8 million in bribes were channelled through two offshore Antiguan banks to Antiguan government officials in exchange for inflated or fictitious infrastructure contracts.
Finding 05
The case took nine years from the initial US investigation (2016–17) to the Antiguan forfeiture — a delay that illustrates the systemic difficulty of pursuing high-level corruption in small-state environments.
Questions that remain
Open question 01
Who else received bribes through the Odebrecht network in Antigua, beyond the two officials publicly identified?
Open question 02
Which specific infrastructure contracts were inflated or fictitious, and what public money was therefore wasted?
Open question 03
Where did the EC$93.8 million in forfeited proceeds go, and has that been publicly accounted for?
Open question 04
Why did it take nine years from the initial US probe to domestic forfeiture action?
Open question 05
What structural changes to procurement and anti-bribery controls have been made since the Odebrecht case?
Timeline
How the file unfolded
2016 to 2017
Odebrecht scandal breaks globally; US investigation begins
The Odebrecht bribery network is exposed as the largest corruption scandal in Latin American and Caribbean history. US prosecutors begin investigating its reach into small island states including Antigua.
2017 to 2024
Nine-year gap between US probe and domestic action
While the US investigation proceeds, Antigua's domestic accountability process moves slowly. The two officials implicated are not named publicly for years.
2025
ONDCP secures EC$93.8M forfeiture
The Antiguan ONDCP obtains a court order forfeiting EC$93.8 million (approximately USD$14M+ and €17M) from Creswell Overseas SA — a shell company linked to the Odebrecht bribery network.
2025
Honorary Consul Franka dismissed; Ambassador James resigns
Two Antiguan officials are removed: Louis Franka dismissed as Honorary Consul and Casroy James resigning as Ambassador to the UAE. The full list of implicated individuals is not published.
Sources and citations
Read the record yourself
Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP) - 2025
Court grants forfeiture of over $14 million US dollars and €17 million euros
The official government forfeiture announcement — the primary source for the EC$93.8M recovery from the Odebrecht-linked shell company.
Antigua Observer - 2025
Govt to get millions from forfeiture linked to Odebrecht scandal
Observer covers the forfeiture and the removal of the two implicated officials, providing the domestic political context.
What you can do
The file is only as strong as the public pressure behind it
Reading this file is a start. These are the steps that keep the accountability pressure live and sharpen the public record.
Step 01
Request the forfeiture disbursement record
Ask the Ministry of Finance how the forfeiture funds from the Odebrecht proceedings entered public accounts and what they were applied to. This is a public-interest question with a specific dollar figure attached.
Step 02
Follow the regional accountability pattern
The Odebrecht bribery network touched several Caribbean governments. Reading the regional reporting alongside the Antigua file shows whether domestic disclosures are complete.
Step 03
Ask your MP about official knowledge
Contact your representative and ask whether Parliament was informed of the Odebrecht connection, when, and what investigation was conducted into any officials who may have received payments.
Step 04
Submit related documents
If you have documents related to Odebrecht contracts or payments in Antigua, submit them through the secure channel.
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Next action
Add to the record if you can prove more
This dossier is strongest when citizens, sources, and document holders add records that sharpen the timeline and narrow the unanswered questions.