The Israeli businessman, who sold his Congolese assets against a judicial reconciliation, should receive 131 million euros from the Congolese state.
The case looks more and more like a real television series. On June 16, the Ministry of Hydrocarbons of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced in a letter that oil permits granted to Israeli businessman Dan Gretler had expired. With his legal troubles in the United States, the businessman knew he could no longer count on his Congolese ally, Joseph Kabila.
Targeted by the Tshisekedi clan, Dan Gertler was finally offered an offer by the Palais de la Nation in Kinshasa. This deal, dating from last February, allowed the DRC to recover the assets of the Ventora Development company — formerly Fleurette Group — from the businessman, against judicial reconciliation. With assets estimated at 2 billion dollars, it was said then that Gertler was the big loser in the case and the DRC the winner.
But by accepting the Congolese state's proposal, Gertler had above all succeeded in buying himself an unexpected judicial reconciliation: after a long battle, particularly in the media, the businessman had accused, last year, of " well-known individuals with dubious motives" for launching a campaign against him. But the Gertler case seemed hopeless.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) forwarded an offer which had, in addition to the recovery of Gertler's assets, the ambition to put an end to the mining and financial scandals that were going on under the Kabila era. Quite a symbol for a Tshisekedi who did not want to allow his former circumstantial ally to be able to rise up politically.
But in fact, Dan Gertler did not really lose everything by signing this agreement with the DRC. This Wednesday morning, Africa Intelligence tells us that, "in addition to the great compromise negotiated in February to put an end to the disputes with Dan Gertler, the Congolese authorities signed a second agreement with him last month, more restricted and more secret". . What does this agreement, signed by the Minister of Hydrocarbons Didier Budimbu with the companies Foxwhelp and Caprikat, the F&C group of Dan Gertler, provide?
131 million seismic surveys
Two oil licenses held by F&C will be returned to the State against… 131 million euros. A sum which strangely corresponds to the investments made by F&C in the area of blocks I and II of the Graben Albertine, located in the province of Ituri, before the group saw its contract with the Congolese State terminated after delays in the works. The Ministry of Hydrocarbons denies this, but Africa Intelligence ensures that a draft contract including this sum has circulated.
For the Congolese regime, a pure and simple termination of the contracts could have sufficed, the company of the Israeli billionaire having in fact never carried out any drilling on the spot. Only seismic studies were ordered in the 2010s. After receiving these studies, Gertler never reached an agreement for the transport of hydrocarbons with the State.
However, if the DRC had unilaterally broken its agreements with the Israeli, a legal battle was engaged, in particular before the International Chamber of Commerce. The agreement must therefore allow the DRC to recover its original certificates of the oil permits and, at the same time, to put an end to all the procedures opposing it to the businessman. According to Africa Intelligence, the DRC also wants to recover the studies, which cost 131 million euros, to "sell them to a future buyer", whether TotalEnergies or ENI.