Secrecy Decried in Deal Between Sanctioned Mining Tycoon Dan Gertler and DR Congo

Secrecy Decried in Deal Between Sanctioned Mining Tycoon Dan Gertler and DR Congo

March 1, 2022 (New York / Washington, DC) – The Sentry joins the Congo is Not For Sale coalition in calling for transparency and information on a secretive deal reportedly signed by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with sanctioned mining tycoon Dan Gertler relating to the recovery of oil and mining assets.

Justyna Gudzowska, Director of Illicit Finance Policy at The Sentry, said: “The Sentry supports the demand by the Congo is Not for Sale coalition to publish the terms of the agreement the DRC government signed with US-sanctioned Dan Gertler relating to the recovery of oil and mining assets, as required by Congolese law. The secrecy surrounding this agreement is inconsistent with the spirit of the DRC government’s commitments made following the Summit for Democracy. The people of the DRC deserve to know how they will be compensated for the billions of dollars in losses they suffered.”

Gertler is an international businessman and billionaire who amassed a fortune through hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals in the DRC. Sanctions on Gertler and his businesses were imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) through Executive Order 13818, pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Act, which targets serious human rights abuse and corruption.

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The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy.

Pull back the curtain on wars, mass atrocities, and other human rights abuses, and you’ll find grand corruption and unchecked greed. These tragedies persist because the perpetrators rarely face meaningful consequences. The Sentry aims to alter the warped incentive structures that continually undermine peace and good governance. Our investigations follow the money as it is laundered from war zones to financial centers around the world. We provide evidence and strategies for governments, banks, and law enforcement to hold the perpetrators and enablers of violence and corruption to account. These efforts provide new leverage for human rights, peace, and anti-corruption efforts.

Co-founded by George Clooney and John Prendergast, The Sentry is a strategic partner of the Clooney Foundation for Justice. Learn more at www.TheSentry.org.