DR Congo unseals Glencore offices in latest tax dispute twist

DR Congo’s finance minister ordered the tax authority to remove seals placed on Glencore’s Kamoto Copper Company offices, as talks continue over a multibillion-dollar tax dispute, a government spokesman told Semafor.

The move comes days after President Félix Tshisekedi warned that heavy-handed measures by tax officials threatened to undermine investor confidence in the mining sector at a time when the country hopes to increase state revenues from its vast mineral wealth.

Congo’s tax authority alleges KCC owes the state billions of dollars, a claim disputed by the Swiss commodities giant, which is one of DR Congo’s largest copper and cobalt producers. Last week, Congolese tax officials sealed off KCC’s offices, in the southeastern Lualaba province, as part of the dispute.

“The finance ministry instructed the tax authority, known by its French acronym DGI, to lift the seals because discussions have reopened and are continuing between Glencore and the government,” government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said. Glencore spokesman Charles Watenpul confirmed the news. “Seals have been lifted. We continue to engage with the authorities,” he told Semafor.

Tshisekedi last week ordered the finance, economy and mines ministries, along with revenue agencies, to ensure coercive measures remain exceptional, legally justified, and proportionate. The president also stressed the need to prioritize dialogue and conciliation. He cited repeated bank-account seizures, the sealing of company premises, and unpredictable tax demands as factors driving up miners’ operating costs and hurting DR Congo’s investment climate.

Muyaya told Semafor the president’s comments were in line with the government’s view that mining companies should be treated as partners, even when disputes arise. “Seizure is not always the route that should be taken, because it is an extreme measure,” he said.