Congo's mining revenue 'missing' - Global Witness
More than 20% of the Democratic
Republic of Congo's mining revenue is being lost due to corruption and
mismanagement, a campaign group says.
According to a Global Witness report, the money is being distributed through corrupt networks linked to President Joseph Kabila.
At least $750m (£580m) has gone missing over the past three years, it says.
The government has not commented but has previously denied allegations of corruption in its mining sector.
DR Congo is Africa's biggest producer of copper and the world's largest supplier of cobalt used in batteries for electric cars.
It
is also rich in gold, diamonds and coltan, used in mobile phones, but
its people remain among the poorest in the world following years of
conflict and mismanagement.
"Congo's mining revenues should be
helping to lift its people out of poverty," says Pete Jones, a Global
Witness senior campaigner.
According to the report, much of DR
Congo's mining revenue goes missing after being paid to the state-owned
mining company, Gécamines.
The head of Gécamines, a close ally of
President Kabila, has denied allegations of corruption and insisted the
company is transparent.
Other alleged culprits identified by the
report are the country's tax agencies which are legally allowed to hold
back a percentage of the taxes they impose.
This creates avenues for corruption through inflating how much of the fines they can keep for themselves, Global Witness says.
The
report says that if the money not reaching the state coffers through
corruption, mismanagement and an ineffective tax system was collated,
from 2013 to 2015, then the amount rises to $1.3bn.
BBC
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