mmegi

‘Lost’ Lerala diamonds finally back in local hands

Friday, March 24, 2023 | 1420 Views |

In the works: Lerala Mine closed in May 2017 and the fate of its last parcel of diamonds has been a tensely fought affair since then

A parcel of 53,000 carats in rough diamonds from the Lerala Mine that was spirited away to Belgium by the former owner a day before closing the plant in 2017, is finally under local control after six years of complicated court cases, BusinessWeek can reveal.

Local authorities secured a key legal victory in Brussels recently and have the stones under their control, a situation that will bring finality to the saga at Lerala where creditors had filed claims worth P30 million.

“The diamonds are still in Belgium but in the hands of people engaged by Botswana who have just started the process for selling the stones,” Minerals and Energy ministry officials told BusinessWeek.

Already have an active account? Log in here.

Or Sign up and get unlimited access to premium articles.

'I was deceived'

Larona Makhaiza | 9 h ago

Fierce battle looms in BPF Nata-Gweta primaries

Chakalisa Dube | 15 h ago

BPF to win all Serowe constituencies

Innocent Selatlhwa | 15 h ago

BDP councillor withdraws candidacy, decries voters roll manipulation

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | 15 h ago

BDP primaries: More fireworks, twists and turns

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe,Goitsemodimo Kaelo | 15 h ago

Choppies' P1m Olympic incentive

Calistus Kolantsho | 17 h ago

Masole gears for third Chess Olympiad

Calistus Kolantsho | 18 h ago

Wildebeests on the cusp of rugby history

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO | 18 h ago

BDP primaries leave a lot to be desired

The BDP as a party known to have ample resources has always held its primaries well in time, but this time around that was not the case. The first leg of the primaries was held last weekend, with the final leg being billed for the coming weekend. This time around, the BDP failed to shine in its primary elections. The elections were chaotic; most if not all polling stations didn't open at the specified time of 6am. Loyal BDP members braved the...

The Monitor Editor | 22 July 2024

About us

Mmegi is the leading independent source of breaking news, latest news, current
affairs, Politics, Business, Sport, debates, analysis, and entertainment news in Botswana.

Explore

More

‘Lost’ Lerala diamonds finally back in local hands

A parcel of 53,000 carats in rough diamonds from the Lerala Mine that was spirited away to Belgium by the former owner a day before closing the plant in 2017, is finally under local control after six years of complicated court cases, BusinessWeek can reveal.