texto retirado de wiki
History
David Walsh founded Bre-X Minerals Ltd. in 1989 as a subsidiary of Bresea Resources Ltd. The company did not make a significant profit before 1993, when Walsh followed the advice of geologist John Felderhof and bought a property in the middle of a jungle near the Busang River in Borneo, Indonesia. Project manager, Filipino geologist Michael de Guzman's first estimate of the site was approximately 2 million ounces.
The estimate of the site's worth increased over time; in 1995 it was 30 million ounces (850 metric tons); in 1996, 60 million (1,700 metric tons); finally, in 1997, 70 million ounces. The stock price of Bre-X rose to CA$280 per share by 1997 (split adjusted) and at its peak it had a market capitalization equal to US$4.4 billion, equal to US$5.8 billion in current terms adjusted for inflation.
Some other mineral companies, including Placer Dome organized failed takeovers, but the Indonesian government of president Suharto also got involved. Stating that a small company like Bre-X could not exploit the site by itself, the Indonesians suggested that Bre-X share the site with the large Canadian mining firm Barrick Gold, in association with Suharto's daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.[citation needed] Bre-X hired Suharto's son Sigit Hardjojudanto to handle their side of the affair. Bob Hasan, another Suharto acquaintance, negotiated a deal whereby Bre-X would have a 45% share, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold would run the mine, and Hasan would get a cut as well. Bre-X would have the land rights for 30 years. The deal was announced February 17, 1997 and Freeport-McMoRan began their initial due diligence evaluation of the site.
[edit] Exposure of the fraud
The fraud began to unravel rapidly on March 19, 1997 when Filipino Bre-X geologist Michael de Guzman died falling from a helicopter in Indonesia. His body was found four days later in the jungle, mostly eaten by animals and identified from molars and a thumbprint. On May 12, 2005, however, the National Post published a front-page story asking if de Guzman might still be alive. One of his multiple wives claimed to have received a Brazilian money order from him, dated February 2006.
On March 26 the American firm Freeport-McMoRan, a prospective partner in developing Busang, announced that its own due-diligence core samples showed "insignificant amounts of gold". A frenzied sell-off of shares ensued and Suharto postponed signing the mining deal. Bre-X demanded more reviews and commissioned a review of the test drilling. Results were not favorable to them, and on April 1, Bre-X refused to comment. David Walsh blamed the whole affair on web "ghost writers" who had spread rumors on the Internet and damaged the company's reputation. Canadian gold analyst Egizio Bianchini considered the rumors "preposterous". A third-party independent company, Strathcona Minerals, was brought in to make its own analysis. They published their results on May 4: the Busang ore samples had been salted with gold dust. The lab's tests showed that gold in one hole had been shaved off gold jewelry though it has never been proved at what stage this gold had been added to those samples. This gold also occurs in quantities that do not support the actual original assays. Trading in Bre-X was soon suspended on the TSX and Nasdaq, and the company filed for bankruptcy protection.
[edit] The aftermath
By May, Bre-X faced a number of lawsuits and angry investors who had lost billions. Among the major losers were three Canadian public sector organizations: The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Board (loss of $45 million), the Quebec Public Sector Pension fund ($70 million), and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan ($100 million). There was fallout in the Canadian financial sector also; the fraud proved a major embarrassment for Peter Munk, the head of Barrick Gold, as well as for the then head of the Toronto Stock Exchange (resulting in his ousting by 1999), and began a tumultuous realignment of the Canadian stock exchanges whose effects are still[when?] being felt.
Walsh moved to the Bahamas and died there of an apparent stroke in 1998, still protesting his innocence. Two masked gunmen broke into his home in Nassau, tying him up, and threatened to shoot him unless he turned over all his money. The incident ended peacefully, but three weeks later, on June 4, 1998, David died of a brain aneurysm.[1]
Felderhof, Bre-X's Vice-President, Exploration had a residence in the Cayman Islands.[citation needed]
In 1999 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced it was ending its investigation without laying criminal charges against anyone. Critics charged that the RCMP was underfunded and understaffed to handle complex criminal fraud cases, and also charged that Canadian laws in this area were inadequate. However, despite the dropping of criminal charges, civil class action suits against Bre-X directors, advising financial firms and Kilborn continued.
Bre-X finally went bankrupt in 2002 although some of its subsidiaries like Bro-X continued until 2003.
In May 1999, the Ontario Securities Commission charged Felderhof with insider trading. Curiously, no other member of Bre-X's board of directors, or others associated with the Busang project, were charged by the OSC. The OSC admitted that there is no evidence that Felderhof was either involved in the fraud or was aware of the fraud. The trial was suspended in April 2001 when the OSC tried to have presiding judge Justice Peter Hryn removed for alleged bias against the prosecution. This was denied by an independent judge, and on December 10, 2003 the appeal was also denied by a panel of judges.
The trial resumed in 2005. Felderhof attended a number of the Court hearings — but did not testify — as the six-year case made its way through the system. The basis of the OSC action as well as the civil class-action suits is the alleged existence of numerous and obvious "red flags", as detailed by Strathcona Minerals, that should have been recognized.
Begun in 2001, the trial of John Felderhof was concluded on Tuesday, July 31, 2007, with a not guilty verdict of illegal insider trading. A class-action lawsuit is still[when?] pending.[citation needed] Days after the verdict, the OSC also decided not to appeal the decision, a landmark victory for Felderhof and his lawyer, Toronto based Joseph Groia.
Na página da dita companhia
BRE-X REPORTS BUSANG II AND III
EXPLORATION PERMITS AND COW APPLICATIONS REMAIN IN GOOD STANDING
NEWS RELEASE
Vol.: 96 No: 28
BRE-X MINERALS LTD., (T-BXM, ME-BXM, NASDAQ-BXMNF) a member of the BRE-X Minerals Group of Companies, said today that senior BRE-X officials Mr. Rolando C. Francisco and Mr. John B. Felderhof met earlier today with Mr. Umar Said, Secretary General of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and other officials of the Ministry to clarify certain outstanding matters relating to the Busang Gold Deposit. At the meeting, Mr. Umar Said apologized on behalf of the Minister of Mines and Energy, His Excellency IB Sudjana, and himself, for comments attributed to them relating to the cancellation of exploration permits and CoW applications for Busang II and III, which were erroneously reported in a December 11th Reuters newswire article, and a subsequent Globe and Mail article dated December 12. The exploration permits and CoW applications for Busang II and III remain in good standing.
Commenting on the fact that this is BRE-X’s third press release in as many hours, David G. Walsh, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BRE-X said, "Obviously, significant progress is being made on all fronts towards the development of the Busang deposit. Shareholders must be as pleased as we are with the recent developments. Mr. Walsh shrugged off recent personal allegations by stating ‘the comments are erroneous and without foundation’".
-30-
On Behalf of the Board
David G. Walsh
President & Chief Executive Officer
e um vídeo
http://archives.cbc.ca/economy_business/business/topics/1211/ pinchar!
http://archives.cbc.ca/economy_business/business/clips/13229/
haha... acho que tenho uma mina potencial de ouro debaixo da minha casa! hahahaha ;)
