News / / 03.08.21

Daily Maverick: President Biden forces Israeli mining magnate Dan Gertler back into Magnitsky Act straightjacket

Dan Gertler was issued a licence five days before Donald Trump left office that gave him access to his money frozen in US banks and allowed him to do business with financial institutions throughout the world. Unless he has been able to use this window to move his assets out of the US, Gertler may […]

News / / 03.07.21

African Business: March 2021 Edition: Mining

Jean Pierre Okenda, a Congolese lawyer and senior analyst at Brussels-based advocacy group Resource Matters, says that Tshisekedi’s victories could give impetus to reform efforts. “Finally, the new president is going to become the only president,” Okenda says. “We expect progress now as, finally, the political deal between him and the former president is completely […]

News / / 03.05.21

Agence Ecofin: RDC : les autorités interdisent l’exploitation minière dans un village du Sud-Kivu

En RDC, les autorités de la province du Sud-Kivu ont interdit toute activité d’exploitation minière sur le site de Luhihi, à Kabare. Ce petit village attire des foules d’orpailleurs et même des membres des forces armées congolaises (FARDC) depuis la découverte d’une minéralisation aurifère vers la fin du mois de février. Selon le ministre des […]

News / / 03.05.21

The Africa Report: More than $4bn a year in high-risk gold flows from DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, CAR and others

The US and the EU must work with African governments to harmonize gold export taxes to reduce smuggling and promote conflict-free gold, says the investigative and policy group The Sentry. Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR) and Cameroon are the states that most urgently need to tackle the issue, says The Sentry’s report published in February. Uganda […]

News / / 03.04.21

Middle East Eye: Biden urged to reinstate sanctions on Israeli mining tycoon

The decision to close the Kingamyambo Musonoi Tailings (KMT) Mine in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo surprised its 700 employees, who had laid down their tools and left tasks half finished when the gates shut more than 10 years ago. The Congolese government stripped ownership of the mine from the Canadian company Quantum […]

News / / 03.02.21

African Business: Time to safeguard Africa’s elections

As private companies increasingly shape the future of voting in African elections, are they helping voters make the right choices, and putting democracy first? Ben Graham Jones and Camille Forite weigh in. The digitisation of democracy in Africa is driving an increasingly important role for private enterprise at every stage of the electoral process. The […]

News / / 02.26.21

Africa Confidential: Bank officials ‘expose money-laundering network’

After fleeing for their lives, two Kinshasa auditors at Afriland Bank leak thousands of documents showing its ties to sanctioned businessman Dan Gertler Two auditors, who fled Congo-Kinshasa in fear of their lives, have leaked thousands of bank records showing how companies linked to Israeli business magnate Dan Gertler were able to bypass sanctions imposed on him by the United […]

News / / 02.26.21

RFI: RDC: qui peut retirer des millions à Afriland First Bank?

Pour la première fois, les deux lanceurs d’alerte d’Afriland First Bank CD témoignent à visage découvert. Gradi Koko Lobanga, chef de l’audit interne, et Navy Malela, contrôleur permanent, avaient servi de sources à une enquête de deux ONG internationales, PPLAAF et Global Witness visant le milliardaire israélien Dan Gertler, ami de l’ancien président Joseph Kabila. […]

News / / 02.26.21

Mail & Guardian: Exposing a Congolese bank’s dirty secrets

There was nothing particularly exceptional about the day that Gradi Koko’s life changed forever. It was early 2018, and he was at his office. He was working in the Kinshasa branch of Afriland First Bank, in the upmarket Gombe district, near government buildings and embassies. Returning to his desk, he passed someone on their way to […]

News / / 02.25.21

RFA: USIP “북, 아프리카서 여전히 대북제재 위반”

북한이 아프리카 국가들과의 역사·경제 등 여러 관계를 바탕으로 여전히 아프리카에서 대북제재를 위반하고 있다는 분석이 제기됐습니다. 지정은 기자가 보도합니다. 미국 평화연구소(USIP)는 25일 보고서를 통해 북한이 아프리카 국가들과 단순히 경제적 이익을 넘어 역사적 관계 등을 이용해 아프리카에서 불법 활동을 하며 제재를 회피하고 있다고 지적했습니다… Click here to read the full article. 

News / / 02.25.21

Making a Killing Podcast: Making a Killing | Ep. 2: Marshall Billingslea on America’s Fight Against Dirty Money

Marshall Billingslea, a former senior US Treasury official and Financial Action Task Force president, joins Nate Sibley for a round-the-world tour of corruption and what democracies can do to fight back. Paul Massaro and Casey Michel discuss sanctions over the Navalny protests, Nord Stream 2, and Georgia’s democratic backsliding. Click here to listen the podcast. 

News / / 02.24.21

OCCRP: Report: $4 Billion in African Conflict Gold Floods World Markets

More than US$4 billion in conflict-affected or high-risk gold from Central and East Africa gushes every year through world gold centers like Dubai to permeate international markets, according to a report published Monday. The Sentry, an investigative hub that tracks dirty money in African conflicts, said that staggering quantities of gold from conflict-affected Sudan, South […]

News / / 02.24.21

actualité.cd: L’or des zones de conflit acheminé en contrebande depuis la RDC, la RCA, le Soudan et le Soudan du Sud injecte 4 milliards USD sur les marchés internationaux

Plus de 4 milliards de dollars d’or issu de zones de conflit ou à haut risque en Afrique centrale et de l’Est sont acheminés chaque année vers les marchés internationaux, y compris la Chine, les États-Unis, l’Inde, l’Europe et le Moyen-Orient, sur fond d’une hausse record des prix internationaux de l’or. L’alerte est donnée par The Sentry […]

News / / 02.23.21

Radio Dabanga: Conflict gold: New report urges tech, jewellery, financial, and auto industries to use ‘responsible’ sources

With more than $4 billion in gold flowing out of East and Central Africa into international markets annually, the technology, jewellery, financial, and automotive sectors are increasingly at risk of purchasing gold via Dubai that benefits armed groups responsible for mass atrocities in multiple countries in the region, including Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo […]

News / / 02.21.21

Bijzonderstrafrecht: Rapport: Corruption in the Great Lakes Region and Possible Ties to the Dutch Financial System

In order to evaluate and address illicit finance risks, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissioned The Sentry to examine potential connections between corruption in Africa’s Great Lakes region—most notably in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)—and the financial system of the Netherlands. The Sentry conducted a baseline assessment using corporate registration data, regional corruption […]

News / / 02.18.21

The New Humanitarian: Amid A Rebel Offensive, A Push For Justice In Central African Republic

A trial of two militia leaders accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Central African Republic at the International Criminal Court is prompting hope of justice for victims of past conflicts, even as a new wave of violence sweeps the country. Alfred Yekatom, known as “Rambo”, and Patrice-Édouard Ngaïssona are accused of directing […]

News / / 02.10.21

Associated Press: Ethnic clashes in Darfur could reignite Sudan’s old conflict

In a story published February 9, 2021, The Associated Press reported that Sayid Ismael Baraka was shot to death as he rushed to help a wounded neighbor, according to his wife and brother, in an attack on Jan. 16 that left more than two dozen dead in and around the village. The story should have […]

News / / 02.05.21

The Jersulam Post: US leaning towards reinstating sanctions on Israeli mining magnate Gertler

US President Joe Biden’s administration is expected to snap back sanctions against Israeli mining magnate Dan Gertler after they were eased by former President Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported on Friday. Gertler was allegedly involved in corrupt mining deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The sanctions against him were practically lifted until January 31 of 2022 by then-US Treasury Secretary […]

News / / 02.04.21

Daily Maverick: US Senators and Congresspeople ask Biden administration to reimpose sanctions on controversial billionaire Dan Gertler

Three Democratic US Senators have urged the new US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to reimpose sanctions on the controversial Israeli businessman Dan Gertler, who has made a fortune through what the US government has described as “opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals” in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On Wednesday, Representatives Gregory […]

News / / 02.04.21

Africa Intelligence: La martingale politique de l’homme d’affaires Roger Abotome

Mis en cause pour ses liens d’affaires avec l’ex-patron de la commission électorale, l’homme d’affaires Roger Abotome Bekabysia a fait du compagnonnage avec le mouvement de l’ex-président Joseph Kabila un véritable business model… Click here to read the full article.