Open Letter to President, Dr. JP Maguli Reference Barrick Gold

By Samantha Cole of Tanzania Business Ethics

​Dear Mr. President 

Following your brilliant negotiation with Barrick Gold a few weeks ago, you made a historic speech at the ceremony to award certificates to those special people who were involved in the Barrick Gold case during the past months.

In your historic speech, you promised to our People that when they do their business, then you will support them 100% whether it is mining, oil, and gas and anything they do, you will support our business people. 

In this spirit of your promise, Mr. President, we appeal to you to look at the following facts regarding how terrible our local business people suffer in the legal spider-web of Barrick Gold – Acacia Mining.   

THE FACTS FROM ACACIA MINING WEBSITE:

In the Acacia Mining website, there is a section with past financial information.  Here is the link
http://www.acaciamining.com/investors/reports/2017.aspx  

Let us look only from 2012:
 

2012

30 June 2012 – Financial Statements 
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 201 legal cases
Total amount of legal claims  :  US$ 31.5 million
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold.

31 December 2012 – Financial Statements 
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 235 legal cases
Total amount of legal claims  :  US$ 30.3 million
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold.  

2013  

30 June 2013 – Financial Statements
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 254 legal cases
Total amount of legal claims  :  US$ 73.3 million
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold.

31 December 2013 – Financial Statements 
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 333 legal cases
Total amount of legal claims  :  US$ 142.8 million
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold.

2014

30 June 2014 – Financial Statements 
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 316 legal cases 
Total amount of legal claims  :  US$ 163.6 million 
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold.

31 December 2014 – Financial Statements 
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 289 legal cases
Total amount of legal claims  :  US$ 184.7 million
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold
The following companies are listed amongst those fighting for their rights against Barrick:
Diamond Motors Ltd  :  US$ 17.2 million
MDM Engineering       :  US$ 15 million

2015

30 June 2015 – Financial Statements
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 333 legal cases
Total amount of legal claims  :  US$ 286.7 million
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold.
The following companies are listed amongst those fighting for their rights against Barrick:
Diamond Motors Ltd  :  US$ 17.2 million
MDM Engineering       :  US$ 15 million

31 December 2015 – Financial Statements 
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 341 legal cases
Total amount of legal claims  :  US$ 280 million
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold.
The following companies are listed amongst those fighting for their rights against Barrick:
Bismark Hotel Limited : US$ 115  million 
Diamond Motors Ltd    :  US$  17.2 million
MDM Engineering         :  US$   15 million

2016

30 June 2016 – Financial Statements 
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 255 legal cases
Total amount of legal claims  :  US$ 234.9 million 
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold. 
The following companies are listed amongst those fighting for their rights against Barrick:
Bismark Hotel Limited : US$ 115  million 
Diamond Motors Ltd   :  US$ 17.2 million
MDM Engineering        :  US$  15 million

31 December 2016 – Financial Statements 
Total number of lawsuits       :  approx. 185 legal cases
Total amount of legal claims  :  They did not disclose.  What are they hiding?
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold. 
The following companies are listed amongst those fighting for their rights against Barrick: 
Bismark Hotel Limited :  US$ 115  million 
Diamond Motors Ltd    :  US$  17.2 million
MDM Engineering         :  US$   15 million
Petrolube                       :  US$ 35.1 million

2017

30 June 2017 – Financial Statements 
Total number of lawsuits       :  They did not disclose.  What are they hiding?
Total amount of legal claims  :  They did not disclose.  What are they hiding? 
These exclude legal claims from our TRA against Barrick Gold – Acacia Mining.
The following companies are listed amongst those fighting for their rights against Barrick:
Bismark Hotel Limited  : US$ 115  million 
Diamond Motors Ltd     :  US$ 17.2 million
Petrolube                        :  US$ 35.1 million

How can it be that every Tanzanian with a legal claim against Barrick is wrong? 

We urge you, Mr. President, on behalf of the hundreds of Tanzania people who are stuck inside Barrick Gold’s legal spider-webs – they are stuck because Barrick Gold’s lawyers know how to “play the legal game” and how to cause more damages and disappointments for our Peoples. 

They know how to extend legal cases for years and years (as you see in the facts above).

They know how to do tricks to cause our People more damages so that our Peoples will eventually be forced to accept small settlements because the legal fees are killing our people. 

Please Mr. President – let us all begin (Tanzania and Barrick Gold) with a clean plate, with peace and understanding, and with no legal cases. 

Your promise to support our people is not to interfere with Justice but at least to make Barrick stop their legal tricks and focus on gold mining and they must stop hurting our Brothers and Sisters trying to do honest business with Barrick.

Thank you, Mr. President. 
God Bless you, and God bless Tanzania and God bless our Nation.