Here’s how the criminal charge system works in normal countries:
- I accuse you of eating a live dog in public
- You tell me not to be silly
- I tell you I’m going to report you for eating a live dog in public
- I report you to the police
- The police ask me for proof or evidence
- I don’t have any
- No charges are filed (and I might face my own charges of wasting police time)
And now here’s how the criminal charge system works in Peru:
- I accuse you of eating a live dog in public
- You tell me not to be silly
- I tell you I’m going to report you for eating a live dog in public
- I report you to the police and I file criminal charges with the public prosecutor
- The police and prosecutor then have to investigate
- I can then tell everyone that you’re under investigation for eating a live dog in public
- Animal Rights campaigners beat you up in the street the next day.
In other words, I personally can bring criminal charges against you and until they’re dropped by the authorities, your name gets dragged through the mud. It’s also pretty easy to spin out the investigation process and have the charges hang round your neck for an extended period, especially if you’re a lawyer and know the tricks (eh Jaime?).
Which brings us to the following, a news release that Minera IRL Ltd has distributed today, but only in Spanish and only in Peru (let’s see if they go for it in the world sphere tomorrow morning, now that it’s on the IKN blog) and to this point, there’s no link to it anywhere, they’re just sending it in mails to reporters and industry people. Cute. And once again they’re basing the whole thing around things that anonymous callers told the IRL “Ethics Hotline” back in July, which means that
1) Anyone can accuse a Team Benavides member of anything, made up stuff or whatever.
2) Team Hodges people will accept the anonymous word
3) Team Hodges people can then tell the world the person is facing “criminal charges” (see above).
It’s interesting to note that this is exactly the same Modus Operandi that Daryl Hodges used when he was put in charge of Jennings Capital, until he was kicked out by the board for ruining the brokerage (that is quite literally ruin, too).
Here’s an English translation of the Minera IRL news release in Peru only today, Monday December 14th.
UPDATE: IRL has published the criminal charge document here. But not the NR below, even though they sent it to dozens of journalists and industry people.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
New
accusation regarding wrongdoings in subsidiary of Canadian company
accusation regarding wrongdoings in subsidiary of Canadian company
Minera
IRL S.A. accused of paying illegal commissions to obtain environmental and
operating permits
IRL S.A. accused of paying illegal commissions to obtain environmental and
operating permits
Minera IRL Ltd. has
discovered that several of the employees belonging to its subsidiary company have
committed irregularites and corrupted public officials. These discoveries concern members of the current management of
the operations located in Ollachea, Puno who, according to accusations received
via its “Ethics Hotline” and controlled independently, have paid illegal
commissions in order to obtain environmental permits, among other serious
crimes.
discovered that several of the employees belonging to its subsidiary company have
committed irregularites and corrupted public officials. These discoveries concern members of the current management of
the operations located in Ollachea, Puno who, according to accusations received
via its “Ethics Hotline” and controlled independently, have paid illegal
commissions in order to obtain environmental permits, among other serious
crimes.
This has been brought to
the attention of the relevant authorities by the board of directors of Minera
IRL Ltd, via an expanded criminal accusation signed by the President of the board
of directors and presented to the 4th Lima Super-Provincial Court
Specialized in Organized Crime. In the expanded charge, it states that Diego
Benavides Norlander, Oswaldo Nilton Sánchez Casas, José Antonio Cabia Vega and Patricia del Pilar Matsuda Ysa, among others,
committed improper passive bribery, generic active bribery and illegal
association in order to commit crimes.
the attention of the relevant authorities by the board of directors of Minera
IRL Ltd, via an expanded criminal accusation signed by the President of the board
of directors and presented to the 4th Lima Super-Provincial Court
Specialized in Organized Crime. In the expanded charge, it states that Diego
Benavides Norlander, Oswaldo Nilton Sánchez Casas, José Antonio Cabia Vega and Patricia del Pilar Matsuda Ysa, among others,
committed improper passive bribery, generic active bribery and illegal
association in order to commit crimes.
In
the text of the charge, the company noted that Benavides Norlander, who
exercises absolute control over the administration of the subsidiary, refuses
to leave the positions he holds despite the demands of the parent company, in
direct denial of the board of directors who are looking to audit due to
indications of underhand dealings by the current administration. It also states
that on November 5th a criminal charge was filed against Benavides
Norlander, Cabia Vega and Matsuda Ysa accusing them of organizaed crime
and committing the crimes of aggravated fraud and illegal association connected
to the deal in which the parent company obtaind a US$70m loan from COFIDE, but
costing the parent company for commissions of
nearly US$3m that benefited an “intermediary” company, Inversiones
y Asesorías Sherpa S.C.R.L., that
charged the company for non-existent services.
the text of the charge, the company noted that Benavides Norlander, who
exercises absolute control over the administration of the subsidiary, refuses
to leave the positions he holds despite the demands of the parent company, in
direct denial of the board of directors who are looking to audit due to
indications of underhand dealings by the current administration. It also states
that on November 5th a criminal charge was filed against Benavides
Norlander, Cabia Vega and Matsuda Ysa accusing them of organizaed crime
and committing the crimes of aggravated fraud and illegal association connected
to the deal in which the parent company obtaind a US$70m loan from COFIDE, but
costing the parent company for commissions of
nearly US$3m that benefited an “intermediary” company, Inversiones
y Asesorías Sherpa S.C.R.L., that
charged the company for non-existent services.
The new information
regarding payment of illegal commissions has come to light from the conclusion
of the processing of a series of accusations made since last July, administered
independently by the firm Ernst & Young, which came from inside the
subsidiary and reveal, among other things, the following irregularities:
regarding payment of illegal commissions has come to light from the conclusion
of the processing of a series of accusations made since last July, administered
independently by the firm Ernst & Young, which came from inside the
subsidiary and reveal, among other things, the following irregularities:
- Payments for access and
attention of public funcionaries, including the incorrect use of company
resources. This relates to a series of “money deliveries” that employees
of Minera IRL S.A. made to several public functonaries in the Ministry of
Energy and Mining (MEM) in order to “speed up” the revision of documents.
These payments are hidden in accounts of “administrative costs” of “costs
of representation” without adequate documentation. Also, it has been
detected that some MEM evaluators have been given vehicles for their
personal use.
- Payment of leaders and
community members in Ollachea, to which is added that the improperly
delivered money did not fully arrive at its destinations. That is to say,
part of the money was lost in transit and the payment of “expenses” was
inflated so that a quantity was diverted from the object of the supposed
expenses repayment.
“The
information received from inside the subsidiary is evident and overwhelming;
employees of Minera IRL SA have been bribing public employees of the Ministry
of Energy and Mining. All these bribes to public functionaries were approved by
Benavides Norlander and carried out by Oswaldo Sánchez, who worked in the post
of Consultor to the General Management. In other cases, the method was the
delivery of expensive gifts to certain key public functionaries. All this
configures a systematic enactment of corruption of public employee in distinct
entities of the State”, this according to the text of the
criminal accusation presented to the 4th Court Specialized in
Organized Crime.
information received from inside the subsidiary is evident and overwhelming;
employees of Minera IRL SA have been bribing public employees of the Ministry
of Energy and Mining. All these bribes to public functionaries were approved by
Benavides Norlander and carried out by Oswaldo Sánchez, who worked in the post
of Consultor to the General Management. In other cases, the method was the
delivery of expensive gifts to certain key public functionaries. All this
configures a systematic enactment of corruption of public employee in distinct
entities of the State”, this according to the text of the
criminal accusation presented to the 4th Court Specialized in
Organized Crime.
According to the charges,
between 2013 and 2014 the bribes totalled around US$11.5m. “However, it should not be a surprise that in the course of
investigations there have been larger acts of corruption identified that have
not been reported out of fear, or because other employees of Minera IRL SA have
been implicated. This explains the motive as to why Benavides does not want to
leave the management of the company”, states the text of the criminal
charge.
between 2013 and 2014 the bribes totalled around US$11.5m. “However, it should not be a surprise that in the course of
investigations there have been larger acts of corruption identified that have
not been reported out of fear, or because other employees of Minera IRL SA have
been implicated. This explains the motive as to why Benavides does not want to
leave the management of the company”, states the text of the criminal
charge.
As is known, passive
bribery is a crime according to Article 394 of the Penal Code and consists of
soliciting or accepting donations, promises or any type of unfair advantage in exchange
for enacting a act connected to the obligation of one’s employment position. Generic
active bribery is a crime according to Article 397 of the Penal Code and
consists of “buying” a public functionary via donations, promises or
advantages, that aims to obtain a determined conduct from the public employee
involved. The crime of illicit association in order commit crimes, is a crime
according to Article 317 of the Penal Code and is the grouping of two or more
persons in order to commit crimes.
bribery is a crime according to Article 394 of the Penal Code and consists of
soliciting or accepting donations, promises or any type of unfair advantage in exchange
for enacting a act connected to the obligation of one’s employment position. Generic
active bribery is a crime according to Article 397 of the Penal Code and
consists of “buying” a public functionary via donations, promises or
advantages, that aims to obtain a determined conduct from the public employee
involved. The crime of illicit association in order commit crimes, is a crime
according to Article 317 of the Penal Code and is the grouping of two or more
persons in order to commit crimes.