Well, the report didn't seem to bother the North Americans last...

Well, the report didn't seem to bother the North Americans last night. Closed at $10.25 (1.19) down from a new record high of $10.49.

Don't forget, a number of international organisations, i.e. the UN, etc have investigated the incident and Anvil has actively put in steps to ensure transparency.

Anvil will soon be a signatory of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, or EITI, which aims to increase transparency over payments to the Congo government and government-linked entities. The EITI was announced by U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002.

Its aim is to make revenues from oil, gas and mining companies, in the form of taxes, royalties, signature bonuses and other payments, an important engine for economic growth and social development in developing countries. A lack of accountability and transparency in these revenues can exacerbate poor governance and lead to corruption, conflict and poverty.

Robert La Valliere said in an article on Anvil's community development programs, "The law in Congo requires that the army can requisition any logistics from any organization, even church organizations, when the country is at war. And that is what the army commanding officer did with our vehicles in Kilwa."

"I think NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are right to pressure miners to subscribe to the criteria of the EITI initiative," he added, referring to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, an alliance between countries, companies and NGOs with mining interests.

"We want to set up a body similar to Canada or South Africa to lobby central government and provincial government in Congo," LaValliere said.

"To become a member of the association a company needs to be publicly traded on a qualified stock exchange. That's the most important criteria," LaValliere said. "We started discussions last August and look to start in 2007."

So in conclusion, three former employees are accused of not asking soldiers in a conflict zone to give back our vehicles? What next?

All the best

KKR