{UAH} Uganda probes refinery over alleged smuggling of gold

Uganda probes refinery over alleged smuggling of gold

Elias Biryabarema

4 MIN READ

KAMPALA, March 13 (Reuters) - Ugandan authorities said on Wednesday they are investigating the country's biggest gold refinery over recent imports of an estimated 7.4 tonnes of gold, worth some $300 million.

Ugandan state-run media has reported the gold could have originated from Venezuela, which has been selling gold to prop up its struggling, sanctions-hit economy.

African Gold Refinery (AGR) said that the gold came from South America but gave no further details and rejected allegations of smuggling.

"All the required documents has been provided to them (the police)... AGR transactions are legal and documentations are 1000% legitimate," the firm said in a statement to Reuters.

Fred Enanga, a spokesman for Uganda's police, said intelligence reports indicated that AGR received a shipment of 3.8 tonnes on March 2, and then another shipment of 3.6 tonnes on March 4. Neither shipment passed through official customs entry points, he said.

Then, on March 7, police raided the premises of AGR after securing a court order and found the 3.6-tonne batch but the first shipment had disappeared, he said.

"Investigators have already questioned and obtained statements from officials at AGR. We are very much interested in them indicating to us where the 3.8 tonnes of gold are," Enanga told Reuters in an interview.

"The one who is found in possession

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