DRC’s Minister of Mines Vows to Combat Fraud in the Gold Sector
The Minister of Mines Antoinette N’samba Kalambayi is committed to fighting against mining fraud mainly in the gold sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
While several sources report the link between the illegal exploitation of mining resources in the DRC and the activities of armed groups acting on behalf of certain neighboring countries, members of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region CIRGL including Rwanda is indexed as the main instigator.
The boss of the DRC’s mines said in a statement that mining fraud deprives the country of capital that could further finance the construction of roads, hospitals, schools, etc., both in the province of extraction and in the country. entire national territory.
She revealed that more than 40 tons of illegal gold leave Congolese territory every year.
“By way of illustration, knowledgeable observers are unanimous in recognizing that more than forty (40) tonnes of gold illegally leave the national territory annually for the main places of consumption after transit in certain neighboring countries for processing and refining”, said the Minister of Mines.
Which, according to him, is equivalent to more than a billion US dollars escaping the Treasury.
“Taking the average price of the last three years, several thousand billion Congolese francs equivalent to more than one billion US dollars (1,000,000,000 USD), to be used as a basis for taxation and parafiscality, without forgetting these induced effects in terms of growth, escapes the public purse”, she revealed.
Losses which reach, according to Antoinette N’samba Kalambayi, more than 34 billion Americans in 20 years.
“In twenty years, the country has not been able to recycle in its economy approximately several thousand billion Congolese francs equivalent to more than thirty-four billion US dollars (34,000,000,000 USD), which would have enabled the achievement of activities of general interest with a lasting impact”, she said.
In addition, the Minister of Mines has instructed the National Commission for the Fight against Fraud and Mining Smuggling to take all the necessary actions for the constitution of files to be submitted to the competent judicial authorities.
In addition, she instructed all the technical services of the Ministry of Mines to start an awareness campaign in compliance with the legislation in force so that no one pretends ignorance.
