DRC: US Under-Secretary of the Treasury discusses the Gertler file during his visit
Israeli businessman Dan Gertler pays a visit to the mining complex of Katanga Mining Ltd.
in 2012. Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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The DRC claims to have definitively recovered its mining and oil assets from the Ventura group belonging to Dan Gertler, the Israeli businessman under American sanctions, for corruption and embezzlement in the DRC.
According to the Congolese authorities, all of these properties have a value of more than 2 billion dollars.
Brian Nelson, the US Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, made a three-day visit to Kinshasa that ended Friday evening.
He raised this issue with Congolese authorities and civil society actors.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa,
Patient Ligodi
According to Brian Nelson, the United States remains on its position in this file.
The out-of-court settlement reached by Kinshasa with Dan Gertler has no effect on US sanctions against the powerful businessman and his companies.
“
We continue to consider that Dan Gertler is still under sanctions.
Is an amicable wait possible with the American authorities?
He and his companies were sanctioned.
Until then, there is no discussion.
There is no agreement with him to date.
»
The Congolese government had announced that it would send a copy of this memorandum of understanding to the government of the United States of America.
Only, nearly a month later, American leaders claim to have received nothing yet.
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To read also:
DRC: the government reaches an agreement with Dan Gertler to recover assets
The most important thing, say the US sources, is to ensure that Dan Gertler does not derive any financial benefit or other compensation as part of this agreement.
This is what Brian Nelson also told civil society during a meeting, according to Floribert Anzuluni, senior adviser on the DRC for the American NGO The Sentry.
“
For them, he told us, it's the red line.
If there are financial advantages, not only will they not accept it and all the people who have participated in favoring these advantages may also be sanctioned
,” explains Mr. Anzuluni.
At this stage, the content of the agreement between the Congolese authorities and Dan Gertler has still not been revealed.
Kinshasa justifies this decision by the confidentiality clauses signed by both parties.
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