Namibia's Areva mum on Hage saga

Areva Namibia has said that it is not ready to comment on a probe by French authorities that is investigating payments made out by former executive, Sébastien de Montessus.Its country manager, Hilifa Mbako, said that they were still studying the developments and were thus not in a position to make any comments.“As you know, the UraMin acquisition is under investigation by French justice so we cannot make any comments. Concerning the indictment of Sebastien de Montessus, we did learn about it this weekend. The indictment appears to be part of the judicial investigation opened in May 2015 concerning the conditions of the acquisition of UraMin companies,” Mbako said adding: “We are studying this new situation and it is too early to comment on the subject.” President Hage Geingob's involvement at UraMin as a consultant, which earned him US$300 000 (N$2.475 million at the exchange rate at the time, said to be 2008), has come back to haunt him, amid an unfolding corruption probe in France.However, the president, who has over the years denied he played any part in UraMin's sale to French nuclear firm, Areva, hit back yesterday with a scathing letter in which he threatened legal action against Radio France International (RFI) for its report earlier this month alleging he was in any way linked to the unfolding investigation.De Montessus, Areva's former mining branch head, has been charged with corruption in relation to Areva's purchase of Canada's UraMin, which owned the Trekkopje mine in Namibia. The case dates back to 2007 when Areva, which today is in financial difficulties, bought UraMin for U$S2.5 billion.Former Areva boss Anne Lauvergeon and two members of her team have also been charged with the alleged overvaluation of the sale to conceal the fall in the price of uranium. The inquiry, according to RFI, is looking into payments made to Namibia's United Africa Group in 2009 and 2010 and 8 000 euros paid in 2008 and 2009 to Geingob, who was trade and industry minister at the time.UraMin was a Toronto Stock Exchange-based company that owned, among its assets across a few African countries, the Trekkopje mine in the Namib Desert. UraMin touted Trekkopje as the jewel in its crown, and promised it had rich and huge deposits of uranium when selling it to the French state-owned nuclear power producer, Areva, for US$2.5 billion in 2007. United Africa Group founder Haddis Tilahun is yet to respond to questions regarding the payment of is yet to reply as he is implicated.Tilahun was also cited in the report and it emerged that Areva paid about N$30 million to United Africa Group (UAG), a company owned by Tilahun and his wife Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun shortly after the Namibian company had bought shares in Areva's desalination plant.Geingob has demanded a retraction of the article from RFI who broke the story of the investigation into alleged dubious payments by De Montessus through his lawyer Sisa Namandje.OGONE TLHAGE

Namibia's Areva mum on Hage saga

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-17

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Namibia's Areva mum on Hage saga

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-17

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