Koidu Holdings to cooperate with sierra leone probe

Koidu Holdings, a diamond producer which is majority-owned by Beny Steinmetz Group Resources, has urged a Sierra Leone inquiry commission to conduct a review of illegal mining and security problems in the area, promising its full cooperation.

Koidu Holdings’ director Patrick Saada promised its full cooperation with the government’s commission of inquiry.

Patrick Saada said in a statement, It is our hope that the commission can work expeditiously and in the best interests of all of the stakeholders – the community, the workers and the nation – so that the mining operations of Koidu Holdings can resume as quickly as possible at this site.

The Koidu Kimberlite project is the single largest private foreign investment in post-war in Sierra Leone. Koidu Holdings is the largest taxpayer in Sierra Leone, and has been one of the nation’s largest employers, with 500 local and 70 expatriate employees. The wages for these unionized workers are among the highest in the mining industry in Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone government suspended operations at Koidu Holdings after discontent between company and the local community led to violent protests earlier this month that resulted in the deaths of four residents.

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