Canadian miner, Kinross accused of corruption in Ghana
Anti-corruption groups have filed a report calling for the investigation of Kinross Gold Corporation, a Canadian miner with interests in Ghana. They are accusing the company of corruption.
According to information out of Canada, MiningWatch Canada and a French anti-corruption association Sherpa, have filed a report with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) calling for an investigation into Canadian mining company Kinross Gold Corporation for apparent breaches of Canada’s anti-corruption laws.
The groups are leveling the allegations against the Toronto based company over its operations in Tasiast mine in Mauritania and the Chirano mine in Ghana.
This accusation is following revelations in a French newspaper Le Monde that Kinross is under investigation by the US Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for corruption at its African mines.
The groups say their report is based on extensive and detailed documents and information that they received from whistleblowers and other sources, and includes subpoenas served on Kinross as part of the ongoing SEC investigation, internal Kinross documents, and whistleblower letters setting out highly detailed allegations of bribery, corruption and other financial crimes in Mauritania and Ghana.
“This information suggests extremely close ties between Kinross and public officials, which have apparently allowed opaque financial flows of great magnitude to improper recipients,” the groups say.
Canadian companies are notorious for corrupt practices around the world, and that is said to be due to Canada’s poor enforcement of its anti-corruption laws.
When in September 2013, the World Bank announced the debarring of some 600 companies around the world for corruption, Canadian companies topped the list – there were 117 of them, and 115 represented one company from that country, Lavalin and its subsidiaries. The companies were blacklisted by the Bank and were debarred from acquiring the Bank’s contracts for some period of time.
Kinross describes its Chirano mine as an open-pit and underground operation located in southwestern Ghana, approximately 100 kilometres southwest of Kumasi, the country’s second largest city.
“The mine is among Kinross’ lowest cost operations following its transition to self-perform mining in 2014. Chirano ore is processed at the mine’s mill, which has capacity of approximately 3.5 million tonnes per year,” it says on its website.
Kinross holds 90 per cent share while the Ghana government holds 10 per cent carried interest in the mine.
Efforts to reach the company for comments were unsuccessful.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
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