French state-owned nuclear giant Areva was one of several companies accused of “a corrupt multi-billion-dollar” grab of uranium and other resources in the Central African Republic (CAR) in a new raft of documents released by WikiLeaks on Friday.
The documents – published the same day as a UN report calling for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assangeto be released from “arbitrary detention” at the Ecuadorian embassy in London – include “maps of mining rights, mining contracts with illegal kickbacks and secret investigative reports”, said the whistleblowing organisation.
WikiLeaks accused Areva of failing to ensure the welfare of local employees, particularly in protecting miners from high levels of radiation, as well as “abandoning” workers after it pulled out of the Central African Republic following what proved to be a financially and politically disastrous business venture.
An undated Central African government committee report published by WikiLeaks claimed that key workers at Areva’s Bakouma mine who were in direct contact with uranium were provided with “no means of protection nor made aware of measures to protect against radiation while carrying out their activities”.
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