Manono: Lithium Gate? Arrest of the CEO of COMINIERE for illegal sale of 15% of the shares to the Chinese of Zijin, 116 Million $US loss.
November 26, 2022
Kiki Kienge
By
Kiki Kienge
With this action of the Congolese justice, is this the beginning of the release in the exploitation of the lithium of Manono by AVZ Minerals?
It is on the basis of a report from the IGF (Inspection Générale des Finances) filed with the Gombe Court of Appeal since April 21, 2022, that the Kinshasa Attorney General ordered the arrest of the Director General and technical director of COMINIERE SA,
Athanase Mwamba and
Célestin Kibeya .
Something confirmed even by the ACAJ (Congolese Association for Access to Justice) in a Tweet;
"The Prosecutor General of Kinshasa/Gombe has just ordered the arrest of the General Manager and Technical Director of the public company COMINIERE SA. He accuses them of the "mismanagement" of the funds resulting from the sale of 15% of shares to a company Chinese. »
The IGF report had concluded in a fraudulent sale of 15% of the shares of the Congolese State to the Chinese company Zijin, the Cominiere had sold to the Chinese of Zijing at 33.440 Million $US precisely shares which were worth 150 million $US , a loss of US$116,560,000 million for the coffers of the Congolese State;
“The sale of the 15% of the shares of COMINIERE in DATHCOM Mining to ZIJIN Mining was carried out in violation of the legal provisions on the withdrawal of the State from the companies in the Portfolio (…)”
At this point according to the IGF report which considers illegal the sales of 15% to Zijing and 5% to MMS, AVZ would own 75% (with 15% of Dathomir) of the shares in Datcom and the Congolese State 25% .
In genesis in the exploitation of lithium in Manono, there was the joint venture company between COMINIERE and DATHOMIR of the Chinese Simon Cong owner of the Kempinski hotel river in Kinshasa which gave birth to DATHCOM, with respectively 30% in the Congolese State and 70% for the Chinese. The Australians of AVZ Minerals will buy 60% of its shares in Dathcom and will obtain in particular 5% of surplus from the Congolese State for social achievements, such as the construction of roads, schools, hospitals...
Later AVZ Minerals following an agreement with Dathomir came into possession of 15% of the company of the Chinese Simon Cong, but here after the filing of the exploitation permit and the rise in the price of the shares of AVZ Minerals on the stock market, Simon Cong reconsiders its signing of the sales contract with AVZ Minerals and wants to regain possession of the 15%.
5 years after Cominiere through its general manager, accuses AVZ Minerals of having achieved nothing in Manono and sells "Illegally" to the detriment of the Congolese State 15% of its shares to the Chinese company Zijing, which is keen to return at all costs to the exploitation of lithium in Manono;
“The sale of the 15% to the Zijing group, has caused, with regard to the evaluations made in the feasibility study, a significant shortfall for the Public Treasury estimated at 116,560,000 $US. It was a real sale of the State's mining heritage, for which you are responsible. » IGF report.
The Chinese company, Zijing had in particular recognized the illegal sale and had decided to reimburse the 15% to the Congolese State without claiming anything in return, as this video demonstrates;
The IGF report singles out the sale of COMINIERE's 5% stake in DATHCOM to MMS;
"The presumed free and provisional transfer of 5% of COMINIERE's shares in DATHCOM Mining to DATHOMIR Mining SARL, but which with regard to the transfer contract, was final and irrevocable without the income from the transfer being traced to COMINIERE . »
According to a source, many names appear in the IGF report, in particular some political and institutional personalities, with the arrest of the two directors of Cominiere, it would only be the beginning of Manono Gate
Par Kiki Kienge Avec cette action de la justice Congolaise, est-ce le début du déblocage dans l’exploitation du lithium de Manono par AVZ Minerals ? C’est sur base d’un rapport…
kongopress.com
