A federal grand jury announced on Monday the indictment of the former ambassador of Chad to the United States, Mahamoud Adam Bashir and his deputy, Youssouf Hamid Takane. They are accused of corruption and money laundering. The U.S. State Department of Justice said that between August 2009 and July 2014 when they were stationed, the diplomats demanded $2 million in bribes from the Canadian company Griffiths Energy, in exchange for assistance in obtaining oil rights in Chad. The money would then have been laundered in the U.S. financial system. It is also reported that interests of the oil company have been transferred to the diplomats' wives and a third Chadian individual.

Nouracham Bechir Niam, the wife of the former ambassador is also indicted in the case. According to the documents proving the transaction, the latter provided consulting services to Griffiths Energy. The Chadian citizens named in the case remain at large. Mahamoud Adam Bashir is today Chad's ambassador to Russia.

According to Transparency, Chad ranks 160th in the ranking of the world's least corrupt countries out of 180. Internally, the oil sector is at the heart of this corruption, with a number of cases of corruption, embezzlement and money laundering.