Congo's government has sold its minority stake in two confiscated copper mining projects for $30 million, and the state mining company involved has paid millions to fund upcoming elections, according to a senior lawmaker and documents, according to Reuters. The sale involves Congo's No. 3 copper mine and was well below the estimated value of the assets. It is the latest in a series of controversial transactions that have dominated the mining industry, months before President Joseph Kabila is due to face re-election in the Central African nation. Modeste Bahati Lukwebo, the head of the audit board of the National Assembly's economic and financial committee, said Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu ordered the sale of state mining company Sodimico's 30 percent stake in Frontier and Lonshi mines to Fortune Ahead, a Hong Kong-registered shell company. Fortune Ahead already owned the other 70 percent under an agreement creating a joint venture, known as Sodifor, which was signed last year. Kabwelulu, who on Wednesday denied the government's stake in the mines in the copper-rich Katanga region had been sold, could not immediately be reached for comment. Fortune Ahead has not responded to requests for comment. "They sold it for a price of $30 million, which was imposed on the CEO of Sodimico .... The order was given by the minister of mines," Lukwebo told Reuters. The $30 million price tag would be just over 6 percent of the estimated market value of the stake, according to analysts. An expert valuation done by the government last year put the stake's value at a much higher $900 million, Lukwebo said, meaning it was sold at just over 3 percent of the value. Other industry sources said the actual value of the asset, given the legal risk involved, is much lower. The two mines at the centre of the sale were previously part-owned by Canadian miner First Quantum until both were confiscated last year, passing back to Sodimico before then being transferred into the hands of Sodifor. In a May 19 letter to the governor of Congo's central bank, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Sodimico authorised the transfer of $10 million to a sub-account of the treasury named "general elections" to pay for Sodimico's "participation" in the elections, which are due later this year. It was not clear exactly what the funds would be used for but Lukwebo said the funds were being "diverted.". Another member of parliament, who follows the mining sector but asked not to be named, said the cash would be used to fund Kabila's re-election campaign. Sodimico Chief Executive Officer Laurent Lambert Tshisola Kangoa did not take calls seeking comment on the reported sale. A letter from Sodimico to the mines ministry, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, also says that Sodimico had sold its share in the Sodifor joint venture for $30 million. The deal was completed on March 18, the letter showed. Frontier is Congo's third-largest copper mine, and Lonshi is a depleted open pit mine being eyed for underground development. Congo has vast mineral assets, but the country has been crippled by decades of poor governance, and it is still struggling to recover from years of war. -- SPA
