Gold Mafia: UK and UAE suspend one of the biggest gold refineries

The United Kingdom (UK) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reportedly suspended one of the UAE’s biggest gold refineries, the Emirates Gold DMCC, which featured in the “Gold Mafia” exposè released recently by Al Jazeera Investigations.

The Emirates Gold DMCC is mentioned in the fourth episode of Al Jazeera Investigative Unit’s four-part Gold Mafia series in which mafia boss Kamlesh Pattni one of Africa’s most notorious gold dealers, who was implicated in the Goldenberg scandal which almost bankrupted Kenya in the 1990s, claims that the UAE refinery was one of his preferred partners when laundering money through gold.

“The UK and UAE have suspended one of UAE’s biggest gold refineries which featured in the #GoldMafia exposè.

“In the film, mafia boss Kamlesh Pattni claims Emirates Gold DMCC was one of his preferred partners when laundering money through gold,” Al Jazeera Investigative Unit said in a statement on Twitter.

Pattni, in the documentary, said it was critical to have links to the refineries in the gold supply chain.

“Gold refineries are the most important point in the gold supply chain. The refinery’s job is critical in ensuring that gold, before being refined, is clean,” he said.

In the same episode, Pattni told undercover Al Jazeera reporters that he pays President Emmerson Mnangagwa every two weeks some facilitation fees to enable him to smoothly carry out his gold and money laundering operations in Zimbabwe.

The “Gold Mafia” documentary implicated Mnangagwa’s wife Auxillia and allies Henrietta Rushwaya, Scott Sakupwanya, Presidential Envoy and Ambassador at Large Uebert Angel and controversial businessman Ewan Macmillan.

Macmillan is also heard in the film calling Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga a “dunderhead” presumably because he was not involved in their illegal operations.

The prominent gold smuggler has since apologised saying he made the statements while under the influence of alcohol.

“I would like to apologise to my family, friends, fellow Zimbabweans and to all those people… offended (by) my behaviour and comments as shown in the recent Al Jazeera Gold Mafia series,” he said in a statement.

“I made many statements under the influence of alcohol that were boastful, untrue, derogatory and malicious that have caused harm to those around me, in business with me… industry that I had worked in… Zimbabwe banking and financial sectors, and those in important positions of authority..,” he said, adding he was “thoroughly embarrassed about the whole incident.”