The latest news concerning Erik's ongoing frustrations.


New post on Central African Wildlife Adventures

Update
by emeliemararv
I'm sorry for not having kept you updated the past month. While the new independent investigation has been carried through, there has also been quite some political turbulence in the country, and some interesting facts have been revealed. However, this has all been very sensitive, and I have felt that I don't want to share the information openly on a blog written in English, until it's officially confirmed.

But as the past month’s events are now becoming common knowledge in the country, I will make an attempt to draw up the whole story for you:

You already know about the rumors that spread in Bakouma two days after the discovery of the massacre, and about the people who had financed the gold mine, who have tried to frame us to push the demands of damages from the families of the victims on to someone else. Well, it doesn’t end here.

The financiers of the gold mine turned out to be a few local authorities. These people had not only financed the Ngunguinza mine, but also several other mines around Bakouma. What is worth to notice is that neither of these mines had ever been officially registered at the mining ministry, so all the gold digging was carried out illegally.

Furthermore, it appeared that the local authorities in Bakouma had family connections with a very important person in the government in Bangui, and that this person was helping them out to block the whole affair and keep Erik, David and our eleven local employees in jail. It all looked pretty well set up, and since there were such powerful people involved, it became a very precurious situation.

But then, other rumors started spreading in Bangui, rumors of an attempted coup against the president. The one behind the coup turned out to be the Finance minister, one of the president’s closest allies since he took over power in 2003. The Finance minister was dismissed and arrested, and when his house was searched, a document was found where he had put up a new government with himself as president, and no one less than the person blocking our affair as the prime minister.

This person in his turn got cold feet and tried to leave the country, but he was stopped at the airport and taken back to his home. A week later, however, he got permission to leave, due to health problems, and he is now in France and will probably not come back since an arrest warrant has been issued against him. This caused an important turn in our case. Where before nobody had been willing to do anything, the independent judge now seriously started to make plans for his investigation, and after we had loaned him some money and put two of our cars at his disposal, he was off to Bakouma. After ten days of research, he is now back in Bangui since yesterday evening, and we are waiting for his decision. The judge understands that we are innocent, and has informed us that all our people will be released very soon.

Even if this “very soon” still has to be interpreted in the African way, it’s a question of “when”, not “if”. I will give you a new update as soon as we have an official decision from the judge on how to move on.

To finish, I would also like to let you know that everyone is doing fine. Erik has been allowed out on permission and we are working with this year’s trophy export as well as preparations for next year. We go to see David as well as the eleven other employees every day, and they are in good spirits. If everything develops as it has the past month they won’t have to stay for much longer.
emeliemararv | July 4, 2012 at 3:16 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/s2qrdF-update
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Good news, in an African sort of way, and I hope Erik and his crew are soon set free and cleared of any charges!

An amazing story - What a nightmare!

While I am sure it was necessary, this part cracked me up: "the independent judge now seriously started to make plans for his investigation, and after we had loaned him some money and put two of our cars at his disposal."