Gold extracted from the conflict regions of the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) can be found on international markets and is supplying large American companies, having been refined in Uganda through a network controlled by the Belgian, Alain Goetz. The anti-corruption American NGO, The Sentry, alleges so in a recent report.
The report asserts, “An investigation by The Sentry causes significant concerns that gold extracted in conflict zones in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo is reaching international markets, including the supply chain of large American companies, and (is found) in everyday consumer products.”
Documents examined and interviews carried out by The Sentry give rise to serious concerns. The worry is that the network of companies, controlled by the Belgian magnate Alain Goetz, has refined gold exported by smuggling from the east of the DRC to the African Gold Refinery (“AGR”) factory in Uganda. The report, published at the end of last week, adds that the gold was then exported by means of a series of companies to the United States and Europe. The report cites potential end customers of the gold as Amazon, General Electric (“GE”) and Sony.
The NGO, The Sentry, was co-founded by the actor George Clooney.
The Brussels Times
