Inquiry over Steinmetz Guinea mining deal extends to UK and Guernsey
September 12, 2013
An international investigation into the activities of a company controlled by one of the world’s wealthiest men has spread to the UK and Channel Islands, where law enforcement officials have begun examining a multi-billion dollar mining deal struck with the government of an impoverished African nation.
The decision by the Serious Fraud Office, in London, and the Financial Investigation Unit, in Guernsey, to open inquiries into the deal that the company of Beny Steinmetz struck with Guinea, means the billionaire now faces scrutiny in six countries.
Two employees of the company, BSG Resources, have been arrested in Guinea, while an associate of Steinmetz has been arrested and charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice in the US, where the FBI is attempting to establish whether the mining deal involved any breach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and anti-money laundering laws.