Firm linked to Israeli tycoon settles DR Congo mining probe

A company formerly linked to Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler will pay $30 million to settle a corruption investigation into mining deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dutch prosecutors said on 11 March, according to The New Arab and agencies.

The case examined transactions linked to copper and cobalt mining licences in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including whether companies connected to Gertler paid Congolese officials and obtained concessions at prices far below market value.

The investigation also examined alleged payments of tens of millions of US dollars to a senior adviser to former president Joseph Kabila.

Fleurette, a Netherlands-registered company that previously served as the holding company for Gertler’s mining interests in the country, accepted a penalty order of €25.8 million ($30 million), Dutch prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the settlement establishes that Fleurette, acting with others, bribed foreign public officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo to obtain mining licences.

Transactions involving the Swiss commodities company Glencore linked to copper and cobalt mining concessions in Congo were also examined.

Gertler developed major mining interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo through companies such as Fleurette and has been linked to deals involving copper and cobalt concessions in the country.

The United States imposed sanctions on Gertler in 2017, accusing him of using opaque mining deals to deprive the Congolese state of about $1.4 billion in revenue. The sanctions were eased shortly before the end of US President Donald Trump’s first term but were reimposed in March 2021.

In February 2022, the Congolese government said it reached an out-of-court settlement with Gertler that allowed the state to recover disputed mining and oil assets valued at more than $2 billion.

Gertler’s activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo drew international attention in 2016 after the publication of the Panama Papers. He has denied allegations of corruption.

The New Arab and agencies, Maghrebi.org