Niger: cancellation of the last mining research permits after a gold ingot scandal
General Tiani calls for a freeze on all current mining permits.
A precautionary measure following a scandal which made a lot of noise in the country: a large quantity of gold, fraudulently taken out of Niamey and bound for Dubai, was seized at Addis Ababa airport at the start of the month.
Nigerians are wondering who owns this gold and where it comes from.
Little information on this huge seizure of gold bars in Addis Ababa from Niamey.
gold.fr
By: RFI Follow
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1,400 kilograms of gold bars worth more than 60 billion CFA francs were seized at Addis Ababa airport three weeks ago, without any official document, while the cargo is leaving for Dubai.
The Ethiopian airport authorities then inform the Nigerien authorities.
Eighty-two customs, police, gendarmerie, and water and forestry agents assigned to Niamey airport are relieved of their posts and reassigned.
An investigation has officially been opened, according to the director general of Nigerien customs.
No further official information has been given so far.
The Nigerian section of the anti-corruption organization Transparency International says it is scandalized and wonders: how can such quantities of gold leave the country's main airport without being detected?
According to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Niger officially exported 235 kilograms of gold in 2022, worth just under 10 million euros.
But investigations carried out from Dubai show that the Emirates imported 457 million euros from Niger.
A significant gap, due to traffic.
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