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DRC: "Dan Gertler must be prosecuted and his property seized instead of negotiating with him and serving as a lawyer" (Jean-Claude Mputu)
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 - 08:11
Congolese civil society continues to demand the publication of the contract signed between the government and the Ventora company of the Israeli businessman, Dan Gertler. The said publication, which should already take place on November 25, has been postponed to a later date. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) insists on the need to make this contract public. According to the Congolese authorities, this contract allowed the State to recover mining and oil assets, estimated at $2 billion in exchange, in particular for abandoning prosecutions. What does the Congo Is Not for Sale (CNPAV) synergy think about the publication of this contract? Jean-Claude Mputu, CNPAV spokesman, answers our questions.
Under pressure from the IMF, the government and the presidency promised to publish the Gertler Contract. What is your reaction?
If the situation were not so serious, it would lend a smile, because here are people who, not so long ago, called us agents of capitalists because we demanded respect for our own laws, especially the Mining Code by demanding the publication of this contract. No one has forgotten all the pretexts mentioned and there suddenly because the IMF asks for it they say they are ready to do it. We are then waiting for publication.
What do you continue to blame this contract?
It is because we have always said that this contract is not only unbalanced for the DRC but that it is also a danger to our country because Gertler this corrupt man is endangering our country and our authorities by signing an agreement with a person under sanctions for corruption at home have not only participated in the violation of said sanctions but have proven that in fact that anti-corruption slogans are Gertler must be prosecuted and his property seized in the DRC instead of negotiating with him and serving as a lawyer. I am ashamed for my country to see us serve as a lawyer for a man whom the deputy director of the Head of State described as a leading architect of predation and corruption in our country.
The indirect proof that this contract has been badly negotiated and is not this century-of-century contract that has been tried to sell us, is that we are now talking about renegotiation..., the absurd proof that the whole campaign mounted around this contract has only been powder in the eyes. It's so sad to give Gertler money when the country needs money to deal with the aggression of our country.
What do you expect from the government today?
Nothing new than what we have always asked for, the simple cancellation of this contract and the legal proceedings against Dan Gertler and all his accomplices. It is just incredible that in this contract the government can still give Gertler money and that impunity continues.
Congo is not for sale hopes today that the IMF's pressure will push the President of the Republic to take his responsibilities not only to cancel this contract but also to sanction all those who have contributed to this scam more. It is time for the white-collar criminals who populate our administrations to begin to answer for their actions.
Maybe one last word?
Yes. Publishing mining contracts is a requirement of the mining code and ITE principles and this meets several requirements of good governance. So, I would like to put two forward. The principle of transparency and accountability to the citizen. Seeking to circumvent them as the presidency and the government did is illegal and constitutes a flagrant violation of the law and a presumption of guilt. Currently we hear that several agreements are under negotiation or concluded in the natural resources sector, in particular with a company called AJN that had already wanted to defraud Sokimo with the complicity of former leaders. We pay attention to this and demand total transparency and accountability on these agreements. Our authorities must learn to respect our laws and to be liable to the people in the name and for the interest of whom they are supposed to work. This is far from being the case today.
RDC : "Dan Gertler doit être poursuivi et ses biens saisis au lieu de négocier avec lui et de lui servir d’avocat" (Jean-Claude Mputu)
La société civile congolaise continue de réclamer la publication du contrat signé entre le gouvernement et la société Ventora de l'homme d'affaires Israélien, Dan Gertler.
DRC: "Dan Gertler must be prosecuted and his property seized instead of negotiating with him and serving as a lawyer" (Jean-Claude Mputu)
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 - 08:11
Congolese civil society continues to demand the publication of the contract signed between the government and the Ventora company of the Israeli businessman, Dan Gertler. The said publication, which should already take place on November 25, has been postponed to a later date. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) insists on the need to make this contract public. According to the Congolese authorities, this contract allowed the State to recover mining and oil assets, estimated at $2 billion in exchange, in particular for abandoning prosecutions. What does the Congo Is Not for Sale (CNPAV) synergy think about the publication of this contract? Jean-Claude Mputu, CNPAV spokesman, answers our questions.
Under pressure from the IMF, the government and the presidency promised to publish the Gertler Contract. What is your reaction?
If the situation were not so serious, it would lend a smile, because here are people who, not so long ago, called us agents of capitalists because we demanded respect for our own laws, especially the Mining Code by demanding the publication of this contract. No one has forgotten all the pretexts mentioned and there suddenly because the IMF asks for it they say they are ready to do it. We are then waiting for publication.
What do you continue to blame this contract?
It is because we have always said that this contract is not only unbalanced for the DRC but that it is also a danger to our country because Gertler this corrupt man is endangering our country and our authorities by signing an agreement with a person under sanctions for corruption at home have not only participated in the violation of said sanctions but have proven that in fact that anti-corruption slogans are Gertler must be prosecuted and his property seized in the DRC instead of negotiating with him and serving as a lawyer. I am ashamed for my country to see us serve as a lawyer for a man whom the deputy director of the Head of State described as a leading architect of predation and corruption in our country.
The indirect proof that this contract has been badly negotiated and is not this century-of-century contract that has been tried to sell us, is that we are now talking about renegotiation..., the absurd proof that the whole campaign mounted around this contract has only been powder in the eyes. It's so sad to give Gertler money when the country needs money to deal with the aggression of our country.
What do you expect from the government today?
Nothing new than what we have always asked for, the simple cancellation of this contract and the legal proceedings against Dan Gertler and all his accomplices. It is just incredible that in this contract the government can still give Gertler money and that impunity continues.
Congo is not for sale hopes today that the IMF's pressure will push the President of the Republic to take his responsibilities not only to cancel this contract but also to sanction all those who have contributed to this scam more. It is time for the white-collar criminals who populate our administrations to begin to answer for their actions.
Maybe one last word?
Yes. Publishing mining contracts is a requirement of the mining code and ITE principles and this meets several requirements of good governance. So, I would like to put two forward. The principle of transparency and accountability to the citizen. Seeking to circumvent them as the presidency and the government did is illegal and constitutes a flagrant violation of the law and a presumption of guilt. Currently we hear that several agreements are under negotiation or concluded in the natural resources sector, in particular with a company called AJN that had already wanted to defraud Sokimo with the complicity of former leaders. We pay attention to this and demand total transparency and accountability on these agreements. Our authorities must learn to respect our laws and to be liable to the people in the name and for the interest of whom they are supposed to work. This is far from being the case today.
