Apple in Belgium hit by Congo ‘blood minerals’ investigation
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Belgium has launched a criminal investigation into Apple’s alleged acquisition of “blood minerals” from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which lawyers in the central African country have called “a massive operation of laundry and greenwashing”.
In December, the Democratic Republic of Congo filed criminal charges against the U.S. technology group’s partners in Belgium and France, accusing them of using minerals they supply to armed groups that have committed atrocities in eastern Congo.
Prosecutors in Belgium last week appointed an investigative judge – who oversees investigations and is responsible for issuing arrest warrants, wiretaps and raids – to investigate the case, lawyers in the Democratic Republic of Congo said. They were still waiting for a decision from France, the process was slow.
Christophe Marchand, the lawyer who handled the case in Belgium, which colonized the Congo in the early 20th century, said: “This is the first step that the prosecutors take the case seriously.”
The Brussels prosecutor’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Apple declined to comment for this story. He previously said he would “vigorously dispute” the claims and was committed to mining minerals such as coltan, a key mineral used in iPhones and other electronics, of which more than half of the world’s deposits are in Congo.
The criminal complaint alleges that Apple’s purchases of coltan ore, as well as tin, tungsten and gold — known as 3TG minerals — will fuel war in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and fuel child labor and environmental degradation. Millions of people have been displaced by the war, where brutality and killing of civilians is common.
Many of the minerals are certified to be mined in conflict-free areas or in Rwanda. But he complained that the so-called “bag and label” certification process relied on by Apple and other electronics giants was flawed, with minerals labeled as coming from Rwanda actually coming from Congolese mines.
“There isn’t a tech company on earth that doesn’t know everything bought from Rwanda is Congo,” Robert Amsterdam, who represents the Democratic Republic of Congo, told the Financial Times.
as if Report This month, UN-backed rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo “fraudulently” shipped at least 150 metric tons of coltan to Rwanda, becoming the “biggest polluter” of the region’s mineral supply chain on record.
The M23 rebels – who are backed by the UN, the US, the EU and Congo in Rwanda – have taken control of many of the country’s most important mining operations, the report said, “establishing a parallel administration that controls mining activities, trade, transport and taxation.” “Minerals”
Kigali has consistently denied supporting the M23 rebels or benefiting from the $1 billion a year Kinshasa loses in smuggled minerals.
In the year In a March 2024 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple said: “We have no reasonable grounds to conclude that any 3TG mixers or filters are in our supply chain. . . Directly or indirectly funded or benefiting armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
But in December, Apple warned that it “can no longer perform the due diligence required to meet our high standards with independent auditors or industry verification methods” and notified its suppliers to stop sourcing 3TG steel from the DRC or Rwanda. .
Amsterdam showed the new departure decision as a smoking gun. “It’s an admission that the supply chains are basically infiltrated with fake minerals,” he said.
Apple has also tried to increase the use of recycled minerals in its products, saying it aims to produce 100 percent recycled cobalt for batteries this year.
Separately, lawyers operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo tried to get the European Union involved in the fight against Apple by sending a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, over the agreement signed with Rwanda last February. A sustainable source of valuable minerals.
Amsterdam: “When anyone with a high school education knows that Rwanda does not have minerals, the European Union is communicating with Rwanda to develop their 3TG mineral programs.” An agreement was signed. “It’s not just Apple that’s involved in this complication, it’s the EU itself.”
A spokesman for the commission said it is “committed to ensuring transparency and traceability of critical raw materials both bilaterally and internationally.”
He added that one of the key objectives of the signing with Rwanda is to “strengthen the fight against illegal mineral trafficking”.