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Carnegie Minerals Operation Cause Economic Loss–Secy Grey Johnson
Monday, February 18, 2008
Following the cancellation of the mining license of Carnegie Minerals Gambia Limited by the Government a press conference was convened yesterday to explain the circumstances surrounding the situation. Addressing foreign diplomats and journalists at the press conference, held at the Corintha Atlantic Hotel, Crispin Grey Johnson, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, highlighted startling revelations about the company’s operations which have caused an undeniable loss to the Gambian economy. According to Secretary Grey Johnson an Australian based company Carnegie Minerals approached the Gambian government a few years ago with an offer to renew mining activities in the country. “The Company,” Secretary Johnson went on, “informed the Gambian Government that they had found deposits of minerals which they were willing to mine and export to Australia.” He added that by their own record Carnegie Minerals Company have been conducting mining activities continuously for over a year now. “They have exported more than 20,000 metric tones of minerals found with a heavy concentration of minerals to Australia and China.” The Foreign Affairs Secretary revealed that out of the total number of tones exported, Carnegie Minerals were paying the Gambian government US$50 per metric tonne exported. He further revealed that figures from Carnegie Minerals indicated that there were 720 containers of the concentrate exported through the port of Banjul during the first quarter of last year alone. The report, he noted, based on a sample taken from part of a shipment and tested indicated that it was elminite, zarcon and brutite that was being exported. “We, on our own part, decided to do our own process and we arranged for some samples to be taken from the shipment which we sent to three different laboratories in different parts of the world. The results obtained from these laboratories indicated to us that it was much more than just brutite, zarcon and eliminate that was being taken out,” he added. Secretary Johnson went on to further reveal that the indications were that titanium, iron ore and small quantities of uranium were being taken out of the country. “For our own part, we have turned over the matter to the police and investigations are ongoing. The Managing Director of the company is right now helping police with their enquiries. We want to bring this matter to a close as soon as possible and leave everything in the hands of the courts to decide,” he said. In conclusion he said there had been a breach of the contract between Carnegie Minerals and the Government of The Gambia. The Managing Director of Carnegie Minerals Limited is a British National named Charles Northfield.
Author: By Baboucarr Senghore
Source: The Point
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