Angola starts “Operation Transparency”
十一月 27, 2018The Angolan authorities shut down 279 diamonds sale and purchase houses and cancelled the activity of 122 co-operatives dealing in diamonds exploration, 52 days after the start of the “Operation Transparency”, reports The Diamond Loupe.
“Operation Transparency” is intended to fight illegal immigration and exploration of diamonds as well as stop environmental crimes. The majority of the co-operatives were not declaring the diamonds sales they were doing.
The authorities seized several instruments and equipment used in the irregular prospecting of minerals, as well as over 23.2 million kwanzas (approx. $75,000), US$1 million and 944.520 South African Rands (approx. $66,000), plus over 12,000 karats of diamonds and 4,910 precious stones yet to be evaluated. Over 400,000 illegal foreigners who resided in diamond-rich areas left the Angolan territory voluntarily, other 14,636 others were repatriated through administrative and judicial procedures.
Source: The Diamond Loupe.