A parcel of about 500,000 carats of rough diamonds from Zimbabwe valued at about $ 45 mn were seized by Belgian authorities as they were being prepared for auction at AWDC on the basis of a court order secured by Amari Holdings Ltd., a South African mining company that has a dispute with the government over the earlier cancellation of a joint venture project.

The diamonds belong to six mining companies that have partnered with the government run ZMDC viz Jinan Mining, Anjin Investments, Diamond Mining Corporation, Mbada Diamonds, Marange Resources and DTZ OZgeo and were part of the third consignment from the country to be sold in Antwerp this year.

The dispute between the government and Amari goes back to 2010 when the company’s right to operate a platinum concession was cancelled. While the government cited non-performance, the company said it has spent millions on developing the project. The matter was under arbitration in an International Court in Africa.