Swiss open criminal probe after Glencore complaint by NGO
Switzerland’s top prosecutor opened a criminal probe against “unknown perpetrators” suspected of bribing foreign officials after a public interest group filed a complaint in 2017 against Glencore, adding to international scrutiny of the world’s biggest commodity trader.
The investigation opened earlier this month relates to raw materials, and isn’t focused on the Baar, Switzerland-based company or a specific person, the Office of the Attorney General said in an email, declining to give further information. The original complaint came from Public Eye, a non-governmental organisation.
The probe represents yet another legal issue for the mining giant and its business in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Glencore is already being investigated by the US Department of Justice and the Commodities Trading and Futures Commission for possible corrupt practices. Separately, Glencore’s unit Katanga Mining settled with Ontario regulators in December over an investigation into its accounting.
A spokesperson for Glencore declined to comment on the Swiss investigation. The company has previously denied any wrongdoing related to allegations regarding the DRC.
Public Eye said 18 months ago that “there is additional intelligence available from the Paradise Papers that answers some of the questions we have had about Glencore, Katanga and the DRC.”
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation