Read the report on David E’ngazi from Africa Intelligence
Lithium: the intriguing transformation of $ 70 million from Zijin Mining to an NGO
As part of its partnership with La Comminière, a subsidiary of the Chinese mining Zijin paid an important contribution to a mysterious Congolese NGO, whose president is himself a public company administrator.
The counterparts of the deal on manono lithium between the Chinese giant Zijin Mining Group and the Comminière public enterprise agitate the small business world in the province of Tanganyika, where one wonders about the methods of a payment of 70 millions of dollars. This was carried out by one of the subsidiaries of Zijin, Jinxiang Lithium, to an NGO recorded in 2020 with the Congolese authorities, called the shield.
In its statement announcing the deal, Zijin Mining mentioned a contribution of $ 70 million "to support humanitarian aid efforts in the northeast and eastern DRC". The envelope was allocated in its entirety to the shield. Its president, Jean-David E'ngazi, worked for a long time in Canada, where he presents himself as the president of the Congolese community in Montreal. He returned to 2020 in the DRC, where he became a member of the Economic and Social Council.
Above all, Jean-David E'ngazi joined the Common Board of Directors in September 2023, a few weeks before the public company concretizes its deal with Zijin. An appointment which he owes to the new president of the board of directors, Lisette Kabanga Tshibwabwa. Member of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS, the party of President Félix Tshisekedi), the latter took the lead in the comine in August 2023 after having officiated as director of Jean-Claude Bukasa, ex-interim special advisor responsible for security issues.
"Brading" of mining active ingredients
Lisette Kabanga, who also creeps a senator's armchair in the elections scheduled for April 21, played a key role in bringing the comicine with Zijin Mining Group. And this, well before they are appointed president of the board of directors. As Africa Intelligence had revealed (AI Du13/12/22), his company Focus Plaidoirie had worked in the sale in 2021 in Zijin of the shares held by the comine in a joint venture intended to exploit the deposit of Manono. An operation described as a "sale" of the company's mining assets in a report by the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF). Lisette Kabanga had perceived for this work a remuneration of $ 1.6 million.
Contacted by Africa Intelligence, Neither Lisette Kabanga ni Jean-David E'ngazi wanted to follow up on our requests, in particular concerning the use of funds paid at the end of 2023 to the shield by Zijin. The $ 70 million first landed at the end of November on the account of a bank whose identity remains questionable. However, it appears that this account has been the subject of many disbursements: a few weeks later, the balance, or 40 million dollars, was transferred to another account of the NGO at EquityBCDC.
A subsidiary of Chinese miner Zijin has, via its joint venture with Congolese state-owned Cominière, paid a substantial sum to an NGO whose president also sits on the board of the state-owned company. - 4/19/2024
www.africaintelligence.com
www.africaintelligence.com
