Arron Banks denies payment to African minister was a bribe | Kingdom News

Arron Banks, the billionaire businessman who helped finance the pro-Brexit campaign, paid money to a Lesotho government minister just weeks before the country grants him a license to exploit diamonds. to the private bank account of Thesele Masirebane, a minister in the country's government of southern Africa, but denied that it was a bribe.

According to various reports, the breeder Brexit has developed a relationship with Masirebane in 2013 and 2014 looking for diamonds in Lesotho. He allegedly paid money to the Minister personally, helped finance political campaigns and provided support after a coup d'etat in 2014.

In an interview with the BBC, Banks admitted that he had payments to Masirebane. When asked if this was appropriate, he replied, "Yes, we were doing a specific job." He said that doing so was "not at all corrupt". Banks said Masirebane was the "Minister of Women's Equality," adding that he "did not quite see how you link" the mining and the minister's portfolio.

According to Channel 4 News, bank payments to Masirebane in South African rand Minister's daughter, Moss Masirebane, in December 2013. In February of the following year, she told Banks by email: " My father had met with the Minister of Mines and our request was approved. "Banks reportedly replied:" Finally – now on "

According to the BBC, Banks has transferred £ 65,000 to Maseribane's personal bank account in South Africa in 2013 and covered the cost of £ 350,000 from his campaign rallies

Maseribane rejected corruption charges. He acknowledged both the BBC and Channel 4 News that he had received money from the British businessman and said he and Banks were good friends.

He told Channel 4 News that the reference to "our app" in his daughter's email did not suggest that he was involved in helping banks get a prospecting license for his mine in Lesotho. "Our application can be involved in so many ways. The application was, information will be pbaded on to Arron," he said.

Maseribane added that he "just wanted to find out where [Banks’] application" had gotten because men were friends.

The investigator on bribery, Paul O. Sullivan, told the BBC that he intended to forward a brief to prosecutors in this country, as well as to the government. at the Serious Fraud Office in the United Kingdom.

"If you pay rent, buy food" [traduction] "Putting money in the private bank account of a minister also raises questions. There is a serious lack of transparency. I will file a criminal case here in South Africa and I will send a case to the Serious Fraud Office in the UK. "

A Banks spokesman did not respond to the Guardian's request to comment. [19659002] In a statement to Channel 4 News, Banks said:" Our mining activities in Lesotho were limited to a license where we undertook exploration work … We absolutely refute the allegation that payments were made to Mr. Masirebane licenses. We have submitted to Lesotho four applications for such licenses, all pending, two years after the original applications, for the very reason that we were not prepared to make such payments. "