The Democratic Republic of Congo claims that it has definitely recovered its mining and oil resources from the Ventura group belonging to Dan Gertler, the Israeli businessman under US sanctions, for corruption and embezzlement in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the Congolese authorities, all of these properties have a value of more than $ 2 billion. Brian Nelson, the US Secretary of the Treasury’s Secretary of State for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, paid a three-day visit to Kinshasa, which ended on Friday night. He raised this issue with Congolese authorities and civil society actors.
as reported from Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
According to Brian Nelson, the United States maintains its position on this issue. The extrajudicial settlement reached between Kinshasa and Dan Gertler has no effect on US sanctions against the powerful businessman and his company.
“We continue to believe that Dan Gertler is still under sanctions. Is it possible to wait in good faith with the US authorities? He and his company received sanctions. 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 United States Government. Only, almost a month later, do American leaders claim that they have not received anything yet.
► Also read:DRC: The government reaches an agreement with Dan Gertler to recover assets
The most important thing, say American sources, is to ensure that Dan Gertler does not receive any financial benefit or other compensation as part of this agreement. This is what Brian Nelson also said to civil society during a meeting, according to Floribert Anzuluni, senior adviser to the DRC for the American NGO The Sentry.
“For them, he told us, it is the red line. If there are economic benefits, they will not only accept it and all the people who have participated in benefiting from those benefits can also be sanctioned,” Anzuluni explained.
At this stage, the content of the agreement between the Congolese authorities and Dan Gertler has still not been revealed. Kinshasa justifies this decision with the confidentiality clauses signed by both parties.
