Bre-X Minerals Scandal

▪ 1998

      The biggest fraud in the history of mining was exposed in March 1997—the claim by Calgary, Alta.-based Bre-X Minerals Ltd., a small Canadian exploration firm, that it had made one of the world's largest gold discoveries in a remote part of Indonesia.

      In August 1993 Bre-X began to explore in Kalimantan (Borneo), and it soon reported significant drilling results at Busang. Assays of the drill samples indicated consistent gold mineralization, extending from the surface to a depth of hundreds of metres, and estimates of the size of the resource steadily grew. By early 1997 it appeared that the deposit could contain some 3-4% of the world's reserves.

      By then the value of Bre-X shares had soared from a few cents to give the company a market capitalization higher than that of several major mining companies. Its apparent success contributed to a boom in exploration worldwide, and Indonesia witnessed a gold rush of unprecedented proportions. The Indonesian government, eager to expedite mine development, was criticized, however, for attempting to accelerate proceedings by nominating the Canadian company Barrick Gold as a preferred partner and for allowing members of President Suharto's family to serve as facilitators in some of the negotiations.

      Eventually, Bre-X formed a partnership with Freeport-McMoRan, a U.S. company and operator in the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya of the world's largest copper-gold mine. Before making a firm commitment, Freeport insisted on carrying out due diligence and sank some exploratory drill holes to obtain independent data. The results shook the mining industry; Busang contained no significant gold. Overnight the Can$6 billion Bre-X stock was rendered worthless. Curiously, a week before the announcement, Bre-X's chief geologist, Michael de Guzman, had fallen to his death from a helicopter while en route to the exploration site to meet Freeport geologists.

      A preliminary report, commissioned by Bre-X and released in October by Forensic Investigative Associates Inc., concluded that de Guzman and a small group of mainly fellow Filipino geologists had salted the drill samples in the field prior to their delivery to the assay laboratories. They substituted mainly gold of alluvial origin purchased from a local gold panner. The salting began in December 1993, after the first two drill holes had revealed no gold and at a time when the company had contemplated ending exploration. The report absolved David Walsh, Bre-X chairman and chief executive officer (he earned Can$35 million trading Bre-X stock in 1996), and two fellow directors of involvement in the swindle. The exploration director's role in the affair was still an open question, however.

      After the scam was uncovered, the Bre-X share price crashed, and disgruntled shareholders (who lost about $3 billion) began taking legal action against the company. The affair, which attracted international headlines, seriously undermined investor confidence in small exploration companies, damaged Indonesia's reputation as a country worth exploring, and cast doubt on the effectiveness of the Canadian regulatory authorities. In early November Bre-X declared bankruptcy.

ROGER ELLIS

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