A Geneva appeals court upholds the conviction of Israeli diamond magnate Beny Steinmetz for corrupting foreign officials, in connection with lucrative mining rights in the West African country of Guinea.
The court, issuing its ruling after a trial last summer, upholds the convictions of Steinmetz and two other defendants for bribing foreign public officials over promises made to then-president Lansana Conte through payments to his wife, Mamadie Toure, that came to be worth about $8.5 million.
The court also upholds a $50 million fine against the Israeli tycoon, but throws out a conviction for forgery and reduces his sentence from five years to three, half of it suspended.
Steinmetz, in a statement via a spokesperson, vows to appeal the “unfair and politically motivated decision” to the Swiss federal court.
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
