Dan Gertler mining deals could cost Congo $1.76bn
Congo could lose out on $1.76-billion in potential royalty payments from its copper and cobalt mining deals with Israeli mining magnate Dan Gertler, an anti-corruption group said on Wednesday, calling on the government to open an investigation.
The US Treasury sanctioned Gertler and more than 30 of his
businesses in December 2017 and June 2018, accusing him of leveraging his
friendship with former Congo President Joseph Kabila to secure lucrative mining
deals.
Gertler has denied any wrongdoing.
Using data including recently published contracts on the
mining ministry website, the campaign group Congo is Not for Sale (CNPAV)
estimated that deals with Gertler for cobalt, copper and oil concessions have
already cost the state around $1.95-billion.
In a report, CNPAV accused Gertler of acquiring mining and
oil licences at "knockdown prices before selling them on to international
partners, or even back to the government, for incredible profits".
Congo could lose out on an additional $1.76-billion in
royalty payments if the contracts are not reviewed, CNPAV said, bringing total
losses as high as $3.71-billion.
"The Congolese government cannot ignore the haemorrhage
of billions of dollars from its coffers when it desperately needs the funds to
rebuild its economy and pull its citizens out of poverty," said Jean
Claude Mputu from CNPAV.
A spokesman for Gertler told Reuters that CNPAV was
"simply making up numbers in an effort to generate the media interest on
which their funding relies".
Congo's government spokesman said he could not immediately
respond to the allegations.
Congo produces more than 70% of global cobalt supplies and
is Africa's biggest copper miner, but it remains one of the world's poorest
countries.
Its foreign exchange reserves stood at just $506-million in
April, corresponding to two weeks of imports of goods and services, according
to central bank data.
Potential further losses could accrue from the State mining
company Gecamines' transfer of the right to collect royalties to companies
affiliated with Gertler through a series of complex financial deals, CNPAV said
in the report.
The largest chunk is expected to come from Swiss miner
Glencore's KCC and Mutanda Mining concessions, worth around $1.46-billion over
the next 19 years, CNPAV said. Glencore declined to comment.
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