War crimes gold: Jersey under fire

The Following Was Reported In the Jersey Evening Post on 27/May/2014 –

Island’s authorities have been accused of failing to take action against a Jersey owned company which allegedly helped to fund the illegal purchase of African gold linked to war crimes.

International pressure group conflict Awareness Project, founded by former UN investigator Kathi Austin, claims that both the States police and Jersey Financial Services Commission have failed to deal with the allegations despite being presented with ‘forensic and compelling evidence’.

Swiss company Hussar Ltd, which is owned by a jersey trust company, is the subject of an inquiry by Swiss authorities over claims that it funded the purchase of illegally produced gold in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The allegations centre on large amounts of gold that were illegally seized by a Congo rebel group.

It is claimed the rebel group then sold the gold across the border in Uganda, with the sale allegedly being facilitated by money from Hussar Ltd.

It is alleged that employees of Hussar Ltd then supplied the metal to Swiss gold refiner Argor-Heraeus SA. The firm has previously denied all allegations.

Now, Ms Austin, chief executive of the Conflict Awareness Project, has reportedly told the BBC that she presented evidence about the alleged crimes to the States police and JFSC but had received no response.

However, the director general of the JFSC, John Harris, said that

this was not a matter for the commission, as it was not an area it regulated.

Ms Austin said:

‘I visited Jersey, I met the police department, the Financial Crimes Unit, I also met the Financial Services Commission, making the complaint, bringing forward the same evidence the Swiss considered so egregious that they opened up their federal criminal case.
‘For now we haven’t had any word.’

Ms Austin said she was frustrated at the lack of progress and added: