Chinese wanting to seize nickle mine amid alleged bribes

Article in todays Australian newspaper raises serious concerns regarding the Chinese wishing to seize assets amid demands for bribes in the Solomon Islands. Claims made by the CEO of an Australian company that was operating a nickel mine, that had its export licence cancelled.

In an August 2019 email to then-Australian high commissioner Rodrick Brazier, obtained by The Australian, Mr Mount warned the Sogavare government was attempting to cancel Axiom’s mining lease after it refused to pay bribes to some of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s closest associates, including controversial Fijian lawyer Julian Moti.“You will recall … Julian Moti spent much time pursuing Axiom to deliver them substantial bribes and conveyed that if we do not then they will refuse us access to the licences for development and provide interference,” he said in the August 2, 2019 email.

Mr Mount told Mr Brazier the Mining Minister, Bradley Tovosia, was working “to persuade the San Jorge landowners to revoke their signatures for our surface access agreement and this will be the basis for the minister to cancel Axiom’s mining lease” in favour of Hong Kong-registered Bintan Mining.