Ongoing Corruption Makes International Investment Dangerous In The DRC

Dave Evans

Regular
Why the DRC is too dangerous to invest in and why the DRC won’t prosper while corruption continues under the protection of the President and corrupt officials

Corruption in the DRC has remained under the Tshisekedi government. The DRC government and mining sectors are rife with bribes, corruption and extortion.

In the years since Felix Tshisekedi became president of the DRC, dozens of reports have been written on the corruption by sources including NGOs, Civil Societies, mining and investment sites and other institutions. These articles sound the alarm on the corruption in the DRC and its mining sector, including China's influence, mining fraud, money laundering, and extortion.

Read reports on the corruption below written by numerous sources outlining

1. The ongoing corruption in the DRC

2. Corruption in the DRC remains

3. The corruption and bribes of DRC mining company Cominiere and Chinese company Zijin Mining

4. The DRC Inspector General of Finance Report showing Cominiere and Zijin’s illegal and fraudulent actions and other examples of corruption in the DRC

5. The violations of Cominiere and Zijin’s Manono Lithium against the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and International Centre for Settlements of Investment Disputes (ICSID) orders

6. The violations of the DRC Cadastre Miniere (CAMI) against the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and International Centre for Settlements of Investment Disputes (ICSID) orders

7. The false communique of the DRC Ministry of Mining and it’s protection of Cominiere and Zijin

8. Budget overruns since Felix Tshisekedi became president resulting in public debt crossing the USD $10 Billion mark in 2024


1. The ongoing corruption in the DRC

In April 2023 Media Congo released an article showing the Congo Study Group (GEC) and Ebuteli survey, with the Bureau d’études, de recherche et de consulting international found that the level of corruption has not changed. They found, in some cases the situation had got worse and that more than 77% of the public think that the country is affected by corruption.

In May 2023 the Frazer Institute ranked the DRC 82nd out of 83 countries for attractiveness to investors in the mining sector. Also in May 2023 four of the DRC's main opposition politicians wrote to the IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank, asking them to conduct an audit of their funds in the Congo because they suspected misuse.

In June 2023 the DRC's own National Business Climate Barometer (BNCA) involving 403 companies gave it a 37% success rating. Also in June 2023 the DRC was excluded from the list of investments of the French mining group ERAMET, sighting corruption in the DRC.

In July 2023 non-compliance and flagrant violations of the DRC Mining Code were reported and Congolese civil society organizations and platforms specializing in mining issues (Justicia Asbl, LICOCO, RND Asbl, POM, MDR, GANVE, CDH, ESPOIR ONG, RCEN, CERN / CENCO, TPRDC, MAX IMPACT) have all shown concern.

Also in July 2023 an article in the Africa Report on 4 July shows that a bill for sanctions against corruption in minerals trafficking in the DRC has been introduced in the US. With the appalling working conditions present in the DRC mining sector, and extremely opaque business climate that exists throughout the country, the bill aims to counter these abuses and calls for sanctions, including asset blocks on persons found to have facilitated child and forced labour in the DRC mining sector "including any official of the government of the DRC".

But the corruption was not just in the government and mining sectors, it's in other sectors such as the legal system, administration, police and infrastructure. The DRC's own Inspector General of Finance recently stated over 145 thousand cases of civil servants and agents of the state had committed forgery and massive fraud.


 
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Dave Evans

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1. The ongoing corruption in the DRC

In April 2023 Media Congo released an article showing the Congo Study Group (GEC) and Ebuteli survey, with the Bureau d’études, de recherche et de consulting international found that the level of corruption has not changed. They found, in some cases the situation had got worse and that more than 77% of the public think that the country is affected by corruption.

In May 2023 the Frazer Institute ranked the DRC 82nd out of 83 countries for attractiveness to investors in the mining sector. Also in May 2023 four of the DRC's main opposition politicians wrote to the IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank, asking them to conduct an audit of their funds in the Congo because they suspected misuse.

In June 2023 the DRC's own National Business Climate Barometer (BNCA) involving 403 companies gave it a 37% success rating. Also in June 2023 the DRC was excluded from the list of investments of the French mining group ERAMET, sighting corruption in the DRC.

In July 2023 non-compliance and flagrant violations of the DRC Mining Code were reported and Congolese civil society organizations and platforms specializing in mining issues (Justicia Asbl, LICOCO, RND Asbl, POM, MDR, GANVE, CDH, ESPOIR ONG, RCEN, CERN / CENCO, TPRDC, MAX IMPACT) have all shown concern.

Also in July 2023 an article in the Africa Report on 4 July shows that a bill for sanctions against corruption in minerals trafficking in the DRC has been introduced in the US. With the appalling working conditions present in the DRC mining sector, and extremely opaque business climate that exists throughout the country, the bill aims to counter these abuses and calls for sanctions, including asset blocks on persons found to have facilitated child and forced labour in the DRC mining sector "including any official of the government of the DRC".

But the corruption was not just in the government and mining sectors, it's in other sectors such as the legal system, administration, police and infrastructure. The DRC's own Inspector General of Finance recently stated over 145 thousand cases of civil servants and agents of the state had committed forgery and massive fraud.

scooprdc.net

Patrouille financière : L’IGF débusque en quantité industrielle des doublons, des faussaires et tricheurs parmi les fonctionnaires et agents de l’Etat ! - Scoop RDC

Actualité - C’est un manque à gagner pour le Trésor public de l’ordre de 148.999.749.440,95FC mensuellement, soit 64.782.499 USD au taux de 2300FC que l’Inspection générale des finances a déniché dans la paie des fonctionnaires et agents de l’Etat. Les conclusions du rapport de sa mission...
scooprdc.net
scooprdc.net

778 millions $US par an détournés sur les paies des agents et fonctionnaires de l’État selon l'IGF - Kongo Presse

Par Kiki Kienge C’est le rapport publié par l’Inspection Générale des Finances en conclusion de l’enquête l’audit du fichier de la paie des agents et Fonctionnaires de l’État, s’est concentré…
kongopress.com

2. Corruption in the DRC remains

The DRC continues to invite companies to invest in projects & once developed, removes their rights and sells them to Chinese companies.

Cominiere continues to operate under the protection of the DRC government, which has ignored and changed its own laws both legislative (mining code), and contract law (JV), and allowed state companies like Cominiere to continue to commit illegal fraud and seize foreign company's projects and licences from them.

International Investors
1) Pay for exploration permits
2) Spend millions developing the projects
3) Create jobs for local workers
4) Build accomodation for local workers
5) Pay to build the mine and infrastructure
6) Negotiate off-take agreements
7) Arrange financing for construction
8) Incur the costs related to the above

Felix Tshisekedi talks about win-win contracts and is asking countries to invest $30 billion in the DRC's battery metals industry, suggesting it could be worth $7 trillion by 2040. He insists the DRC will control the entire chain of investment in minerals including the finance, production and processing and sale of the final product, but the corruption in the mining sector is clearly demonstrated by bribes and fraud in the case of Cominiere’s Celestin Kibeya Kabemba taking the bribes from Zijin and seizing AVZ Minerals’ Dathcom lithium project at Manono. Read the AVZ Minerals story👇


The most alarming feature to come out of the 2023 Battery Metals Forum was how much corruption there is in the DRC mining and investment sectors. Now the DRC is again asking other countries to invest $30 billion in its projects even when there are ongoing arbitration disputes involving the ICC and ICSID due to Cominiere’s illegal termination of the joint venture contract with AVZ Minerals, seizing of the Manono lithium project and illegal sale to China’s Zijin Mining

DRC Requires a Minimum of $30 Billion for Electric Battery Industry Development - Copperbelt Katanga Mining

Financial patrol: The IGF flushes out in industrial quantities duplicates, forgers and cheaters among civil servants and agents of the State! - Scoop DRC (scooprdc.net)

778 million $US per year embezzled from the salaries of agents and civil servants of the State according to the IGF - Kongo Presse

DRC: 7 institutions including the Presidency, the Prime Minister and the National Assembly show budget overruns of more than 100% | Politico.cd

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...f+DRC+Mining+Assets+by+COMINIERE+SA+-+ENG.pdf
 
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3. The corruption and bribes of DRC mining company Cominiere and Chinese company Zijin Mining

Investors, mining companies, battery maker’s and EV manufacturer’s around the world know the story of AVZ Minerals and how Cominiere illegally seized the Manono lithium project from Dathcom and sold it to Chinese Zijin Mining

AVZ spent $140 million developing the Manono project before Cominiere took a bribe from Zijin and went about seizing the project, all under the watchful eyes of the President, Minister of Mines and the Mining Cadastre.

Cominiere continues to violate the ICC and ICSID interim orders. Follow the links below to see the evidence and read the facts 👇

1. The AVZ Minerals Story
2. Cominiere being bribed by Zijin Mining
3. The IGF Report detailing the corruption
4. First ICC Rulings against Cominiere
5. Second ICC Rulings against Cominiere
6. The ICSID Interim Orders against Cominiere
7. The ICC Ruling against Jin Cheng
8. The money Cominiere owes in penalty’s




https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...f+DRC+Mining+Assets+by+COMINIERE+SA+-+ENG.pdf

https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20230508/pdf/05pgtwvs1482j9.pdf

https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20231117/pdf/05xgd2s91x97y0.pdf

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...+AVZ+Successful+in+ICSID+Interim+Measures.pdf



Reports showing Cominiere’s other Board of Directors Lisette Tshibwabwa Kabanga and David E’ngazi (who are protected by the President and Minister of Mines) also took bribes from Zijin, shown in the links 👇


 
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4. The DRC Inspector General of Finance Report showing Cominiere and Zijin’s illegal and fraudulent actions and other examples of corruption in the DRC




5. The violations of Cominiere and Zijin’s Manono Lithium against the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and International Centre for Settlements of Investment Disputes (ICSID) orders


6. The violations of the DRC Cadastre Miniere (CAMI) against the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and International Centre for Settlements of Investment Disputes (ICSID) orders

In violation of the orders of the ICC and ICSID, the DRC Cadastre Miniere (CAMI) granted the Mining License application to Manono Lithium and then granted Manono Lithium the full Mining License without even having produced Feasability, Sustainability or Environmental Reports
 
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7. The false communique of the DRC Ministry of Mining and it’s protection of Cominiere and Zijin

8. Budget overruns since Felix Tshisekedi became president resulting in public debt crossing the USD $10 Billion mark in 2024



DRC: 7 institutions including the Presidency, the Primature and the National Assembly accuse budget overruns of more than 100%

According to the Minister of Finance, Nicolas Kazadi, the budget overruns concern operating expenses including 7 institutions and 22 ministries charging execution rates above 100%. These are the Presidency 190%, the Primature 132%, the National Assembly145%, the Senate 184%, the General Secretariat of the Government 257%, the CENI 145%, the Court of Auditors 126%, Foreign Affairs 401%, Interior and Security 183%, Defence and Veterans Affairs 249%, National Economy 100, 83%, Finance 182%, Budget 334%, Justice 202%, Relations with Parliament 132%, Health 124%, EPST 107%, ESU 113%, Agriculture 141%, Industry 334%, Foreign Trade 138%, Communication and Media 130%; Land affairs 216%; Environment 371%, Sports and Leisure 288%, Regional integration 155%, Humanitarian actions 627%, Customary Affairs 102%, Spatial Planning 365%. byWriting Kinshasa September 28, 2023





 
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08/04/2024

DRC: public debt crosses the USD 10 billion mark in 5 years


 
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Dave Evans

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The Democratic Republic of Congo’s corruption ranking over the last 3 years 👇

In 2022 the DRC was named by NGO Transparency International as one of the 15 most corrupt countries in the world

In 2023 the Frazer Institute ranked the DRC 82nd out of 83 countries for attractiveness to investors in the mining

In 2024 Media Congo reported mining fraud and corruption in the DRC were increasing

 
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