R.B
JF-Expert Member
- May 10, 2012
- 6,296
- 2,573
An open and public letter to Barrick Gold Chairman, John L. Thornton
Dear Mr Thornton
We, the simple Tanzanian volunteers against corruption and fraud, wrote quite a few emails to you, to Kelvin Dushnisky, Brad Gordon & other senior directors and managers,
about the mess you and your company are making in our country.
You preferred to block our emails “as spam” because it did not suit you, White money-people, to hear the truth from simple Black non-money people.
Instead you sent security investigators to find us and when that failed, you sent super-expensive lawyers to threaten our group, and our families and also to threaten and intimidate the media companies who chose to allow us freedom of speech and expression. Did you know there is no more Colonialism in Africa (or anywhere else for that matter?)
We, the simple Tanzanian’s, emailed you numerous times requesting – almost begging you – to clean up the mess of your company’s activities here, but you took no notice. Now you see how things have gone from BAD to WORSE for you all, because you have the WRONG Barrick-Acacia people working here in your local offices. These Barrick-Acacia people continue to try manipulate and behave all wrongly in the face of our new President, Dr. Magufuli.
These Barrick-Acacia think that they can “play the same games” and “pull the same tricks” and “make the same arrangements” that they did in the 1990’s and during the past 15 years until President Magufuli took office.
Just look at the terrible state of your companies here. There are public charges of corruption, fraud, tax evasion, price transferring, falsifying export documentation – and no-one has forgotten the crimes of rape, murder, arson, environmental devastation and poisoning our rivers and water sources. If all these charges are not enough, last week, a Presidential Commission returned their findings to our President – Acacia is GUILTY!
Yes, you all (top management at Acacia Mining and Barrick Gold) are all GUILTY of the crime of under-invoicing and deliberately manipulating and under-stating values whereby cheating our country from the export royalties that should rightfully be paid.
If you ask your lawyers they will confirm that in our country, these are crimes punishable with JAIL sentences.
Our President demands the resignations of his key people who fail him. You can learn from President Magufuli and demand the resignations of Kelvin Dushnisky, Brad Gordon & other senior directors and managers in Acacia Mining for their total failure to manage Acacia Mining ethically, morally and compliance to the laws of the land.
In addition, their resignations should be demanded for the guilty verdicts (twice) of tax evasion last year and even more so, the fact that last week, they have been caught under-invoicing exports, price transferring, false declarations of exports and should we include money laundering as well?
The question is if you have the courage and resolution that our President has, to demand the resignations from Mr Dushnisky, Mr Gordon, Deo Mwanyika, Charlie Ritchie and others responsible for the illegal activities in our country! They can all run but they cannot hide!
Do you have any idea how much money you owe Tanzania from unpaid (deliberately) export tax royalties? What about company taxes for real profits not declared (whilst you pay hundreds of millions of dollars in dividends overseas? More crimes punishable with JAIL sentences.)
Your lies, deception, double standards and falsehoods late last year and early this year were directed mainly to romance Endeavour Mining to merge with Acacia Mining. Thank God for Tanzania that the merger failed. We certainly don’t need Endeavour Mining management people here in our country! But that’s old news and we prefer look forward.
It is no secret that for over a year Barrick Gold have been trying so hard to sell off its daughter company, Acacia Mining, but there have been no takers. No other company in the world has been even vaguely interested in Acacia Mining – not because of the production but because of the terrible problems and scandals that surround Acacia Mining in Tanzania. Now, Acacia’s complications are even worse!
Do you really think our President is worried about YOUR regular threats to close Buzwagi and Bulyanhulu mines?
Do you really think our President is worried about YOUR carefully initiated media reports in the overseas media referring to our President’s actions as:
“….. thanks to Government incompetence”
“…… everything to get back to normal in the next few months, once Tanzania
realizes its mistake.”
“why the claims of government of Tanzania simply can’t be right”
And many more….
How dare you insult our President and his Government when you are blatantly operating so illegally?
Mr. Gordon lied in the media trying to deceive Endeavour Mining regarding the extension of Buzwagi mine. Did he really think that Endeavour would not do their own due diligence and be tricked into believing Mr. Gordon?
More deception and lies directed as a threat to our President was published just two weeks ago in the local media where your Buzwagi Mine general manager Stewart Hamilton said that Acacia will stop the mining activities in December 2017 while other plant processes will cease in 2020. He was quoted, “According to our plan on the closure of Buzwagi Mine, we have decided to reduce the number of our manpower by 100 as an initial stage of the total closure in 2020”.
Mr. Thornton, just who are you trying to fool?
Your own people in the Acacia Mining offices who are so unhappy with your existing management are volunteering to assist our group with real information because they know the truth and the harm you are bringing on our country. They told us your publicised plans make no mining sense at all!!
Should we, “simple Black people” teach you, rich sophisticated White people, how to behave and operate with integrity and morality?
Mr Dushnisky, Mr Gordon and others from the UK and Canada will not step a foot into Dar es Salaam because they KNOW their crimes and they KNOW they will be prosecuted, even with their high-price lawyers fighting their battles.
We all know that its only a matter of time before Deo Mwanyika is called in by the Police and/or PCCB.
We all know how well you will create a “story” about this mess for your shareholders. As our British boss always says: You can fool some of the people all of the time.
Tanzanian’s are culturally peace loving people. You cannot undo the past; you can pay for past mistakes and you can ensure the future is better. However, for this, you need a clean broom. A broom not associated with the corruption, fraud and commercial cancer from the past. A new broom that you need to select and activate to start sweeping up the mess. A new broom with a big budget and a clear, honest vision for the future.
Yours sincerely
Samantha Cole
