{"id":31900,"date":"2026-03-17T05:26:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T04:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kaizen-blog.org\/?p=31900"},"modified":"2026-03-17T12:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T11:39:59","slug":"17-maerz-2026-kurznachrichten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaizen-blog.org\/en\/17-maerz-2026-kurznachrichten\/","title":{"rendered":"March 17, 2026 - Short News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Price of Corruption - How a 25 Million Judgment Barely Touches the Billion Dollar Trade in Congo!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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25.8 million euros. That is the price of bribery in the global commodities business, at least in this case. The Dutch public prosecutor\u2019s office has ordered the now dissolved holding company Fleurette Properties to pay. The allegation: bribery of officials in Congo in order to secure access to mining licenses. The case ends without a trial, without public review, without charges against individuals. We are currently assessing whether to include this case in our own investigation - the key question is whether the required time and resources can be justified. At the center is Dan Gertler, a commodities trader who has been active in Congo since the 1990s and gained early access to the political leadership. Through Fleurette, payments are said to have been made between 2010 and 2011 to Augustin Katumba Mwanke, a close adviser to President Joseph Kabila. The goal was to acquire extraction rights whose actual value was far higher than the amounts paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Investigators come to a clear conclusion. Bribery took place. But that is exactly where the consequences end. The individuals behind the decisions were not investigated. Gertler himself is not charged. Much larger sums are at stake. U.S. authorities accused him of depriving the Congolese state of around 1.4 billion dollars. Investigations show that extraction rights were sometimes granted for as little as one sixth of their value. At the same time, Gertler earned hundreds of millions with partners such as Glencore, with around one billion euros coming from just two mines. Similar structures appear later as well. Payments to intermediaries, connections to other corporations, indications of sanctions evasion. The companies involved deny everything. The pattern nevertheless remains visible. The Dutch decision makes the problem clear. The company pays, the case is closed, those responsible remain untouched. Authorities point to limited resources, outdated legal frameworks and complex international structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, a simple reality remains. Profits stay high, penalties stay manageable. For the people in Congo, nothing changes. Revenues continue to disappear into structures that are barely traceable. The case does not show a single instance of misconduct. It shows a system in which corruption is not prevented but treated as a calculable risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An Invented Story - And Four Former Presidents Contradict It<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n