Daouda Diawara and the Gold Scam: The Shocking Investigation into a Network of Fraud and Exploitation in Africa

A vast gold scam network is under investigation between Mali, Ivory Coast and Dubai ;The Comptoir Malien de Négocie et de Distribution (CMND) group, headed by Mr Daouda DIAWARA, is the front line in a network of organized criminals exploiting child miners in Mali, scamming, racketeering and money laundering, including numerous politicians in Mali and Côte d’Ivoire.

This organization is made up of Mr. Diawara, Malian passport AA0032150, a former Malian student at the Sorbonne in Paris. From their office in Abidjan at the DEUX PLATEAUX VALLONS, they use fear to exploit a network of miners in Mali who exploit children from an early age. The current investigation reveals that these activities, well known to the local authorities, are covered up by Malian politicians who take advantage of the scheme to launder misappropriations received in cash.

In addition to using children in the mines, to avoid taxes on capital gains, mining companies in Mali send their gold in transit from Mali to Côte d’Ivoire, then on to Dubai. The complicated maneuver is to avoid declaring the gold sold in Dubai to the Malian authorities, with a clever exchange of documentation under customs control in Côte d’Ivoire. Every 99.99% unrefined mined gold has a unique chemical signature that makes it possible to identify the exact region from which it comes. To avoid this, CMND mixes their gold from Mali with that from their mine in Côte d’Ivoire to falsify customs checks in Dubai.

To secure the political support needed for this exchange of documentation and gold mixing, they are tasked with laundering cash obtained by these politicians through embezzlement. Getting paid in cash only in Dubai when selling gold. Using the proof of cash payment for gold, they can justify depositing large sums of cash in the bank in Dubai. The cash in the bank is that obtained by corrupt politicians where the gold cash payments are transferred via the Hawala network in Africa.

Their company, through intermediaries who are partners in their scheme, use their reputation for quality to bring foreign investors into their scam. Mr. Foulo Basse, a graduate of the University of Paris XII and the I.H.E.A.L. of the University of Paris III – Sorbonne Nouvelle, Foulo BASSE began his career as a financial project manager at the French Food Safety Agency (A.F.S.S.A.) and for the European Commission. Also a board member of one of Mr. Diawara’s companies in Côte d’Ivoire, he uses his profile to trap foreign investors.

Once the investor is assured of a “quality” partner, he finds himself investing in CMND. CMND never delivers the gold to the customer, and uses the money to increase its gold export capacity and strengthen its structures. The trapped investor finds himself in a relationship with criminals where Mr. Diawara buys time to increase his profits while lying about the true use of the funds. Until now, politicians have been protected by the protection they were paid so dearly for, but the involvement of several government bodies in the fight against the financing of terrorism is likely to change all that.

The international and Dubai authorities have been notified, and a judicial inquiry will follow in the coming weeks regarding the implication of Mr Daouda Diawara.

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