Skip to content

Gold bullion at Istanbul Gold Refinery in Istanbul. — Gold bullion at Istanbul Gold Refinery in Istanbul.
Photographer: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images

City of London

London Laundering Case May Hold Clues to Guinea’s Gold

A murky deal stretching across three continents raises questions about the city’s bullion market.

By

Jonathan Browning, and

May 13, 2022, 4:01 AM UTCCorrectedMay 16, 2022, 7:15 PM UTC

The government of Guinea wants to know what happened to three tons of its gold. The answer may lie in London.

In March, Guinean authorities arrested a former head of the central bank and charged him with embezzlement after the custodian of the gold, Belgian refiner Affinor BVBA, said it was unable to return it.