Bre-X


Book Description

It was hailed as the biggest gold discovery this century, worth more than u15 billion, but it turned out to be a big mining scandal. This is an account of how, in 1995, Bre-X Minerals, a small Canadian mining company, shot to world fame and fortune after announcing the discovery of 71 million ounces of gold at the Busang site, on the island of Borneo, Indonesia. The value of Bre-X shares soared from $5 to $192.50 within minutes of listing in Toronto in 1996."




Bre-X


Book Description

For 2 years, BRE-X was the darling of the world's stock markets. Millionaires were created over night; until the scam was uncovered.




The Bre-X Fraud


Book Description

The history books will add the Bre-X saga to other legendary frauds like the South Sea Bubble. When the Bre-X bubble burst, the stock that had soared from fifty cents in 1994 to the equivalent of $286 in 1996 was worth nine cents in May 1997, before trading halted forever. And the Busang deposit, supposedly as much as 200 million ounces of gold, worth about $70 billion U.S. - the biggest gold find in history - was actually the century's biggest fraud. How did this happen, right under the noses of the financial world? In this book the experienced investigative team from "The Globe and Mail's Report on Business that broke the story of Bre-X's troubles has combined forces to answer that question. With literally hundreds of Bre-X interviews behind them, and drawing on resources from several continents, they have been able to explain the twists and turns of this complex tale. The result is a fascinating true story that reads like the wildest fiction.




Bre-X


Book Description




Gold of Bre-X


Book Description

Between 1994 and 1997, Canadian company Bre-X Minerals, sponsored and promoted to listings on the TSX and NASDAQ by JPMorgan, Lehman, BMO, and others, was exploring for gold on the Busang property on the Indonesian island of Borneo. Bre-X's efforts bore the discovery of a lifetime: a mammoth deposit estimated to contain over 200 million ounces of easily extractable gold. The company's stock exploded from 25 cents to over $270, effectively valuing Bre-X at over $6 billion and attracting the interest of major mining companies. Barrick, Placer Dome, and Freeport McMorran, all the major players at the time, started competing to develop the largest gold deposit ever discovered. In early 1997, Indonesian President Suharto and his government took control of the deposit by force and commissioned Freeport to build a mega mine. In the ensuing months, due diligence revealed that the deposit was a gigantic hoax! There was no gold in Busang. The principals of Bre-X were accused, but never convicted, of salting samples before sending them to labs. Michael de Guzman, a Filipino geologist who served as the project manager, allegedly committed suicide by jumping from a helicopter into the abyss of Borneo's jungle. Minorca Resources of Toronto were the financial partners of the Haji Sayakarani group of companies that owned Busang; Alfred Lenarciak was the chairman of Minorca at the time. In a strange twist of fate, in February 2012, Alfred had a chance encounter in Rome with a man by the name of Akiro Guzzo, who shared with him an amazing story about the life and death of Michael de Guzman, the creator of a fake gold mega deposit. Is this really a dead man's story?




Bre-X: Dead Man’S Story?


Book Description

Between 1994 and 1997, Canadian-based Bre-X Minerals sponsored and enthusiastically promoted listings on the TSX and NASDAQ by JPMorgan, Lehman, BMO, Scotia as well as others, who were exploring for gold on the Busang property on the Indonesian island of Borneo. Their efforts bore the discovery of a lifetime: a mammoth deposit speculated to contain over 200 million ounces of easily extractable gold. The companys stock exploded from 25 cents to $270, giving them a valuation of over $6 billion. Major mining companies like Barrick, Placer Dome and Freeport McMoran started competing to develop the largest gold deposit ever discovered. In early 1997, Suharto and his Indonesian government took control of the deposit, by force, and commissioned Freeport to build a mega mine. In the ensuing months, due diligence revealed that the deposit was a gigantic hoax! There was no gold in Busang. The principals of Bre-X were accused (but never convicted) of salting (adding gold) the samples before sending them to the labs. Michael de Guzman, a Filipino geologist who served as the project manager, infamously jumped from a helicopter into the abyss of Borneos jungle. Minorca Resources of Toronto were the financial partners of the Haji Saykerani group of companies who owned Busang. Alfred Lenarciak was the chairman of Minorca at the time. In a strange twist of fate, in February of 2012, Alfred had a chance encounter in Rome, Italy with a man named Akiro Guzzo, who shared with him an amazing story on the life and death of Michael de Guzman: is this really a dead mans story?




Gold of Bre-X


Book Description

Between 1994 and 1997, Canadian company Bre-X Minerals, sponsored and promoted to listings on the TSX and NASDAQ by JPMorgan, Lehman, BMO, and others, was exploring for gold on the Busang property on the Indonesian island of Borneo. Bre-X’s efforts bore the discovery of a lifetime: a mammoth deposit estimated to contain over 200 million ounces of easily extractable gold. The company’s stock exploded from 25 cents to over $270, effectively valuing Bre-X at over $6 billion and attracting the interest of major mining companies. Barrick, Placer Dome, and Freeport McMorran, all the major players at the time, started competing to develop the largest gold deposit ever discovered. In early 1997, Indonesian President Suharto and his government took control of the deposit by force and commissioned Freeport to build a mega mine. In the ensuing months, due diligence revealed that the deposit was a gigantic hoax! There was no gold in Busang. The principals of Bre-X were accused, but never convicted, of salting samples before sending them to labs. Michael de Guzman, a Filipino geologist who served as the project manager, allegedly committed suicide by jumping from a helicopter into the abyss of Borneo’s jungle. Minorca Resources of Toronto were the financial partners of the Haji Sayakarani group of companies that owned Busang; Alfred Lenarciak was the chairman of Minorca at the time. In a strange twist of fate, in February 2012, Alfred had a chance encounter in Rome with a man by the name of Akiro Guzzo, who shared with him an amazing story about the life and death of Michael de Guzman, the creator of a fake gold mega deposit. Is this really a dead man’s story?




Indonesian Gold


Book Description

Based on events surrounding the infamous, billion-dollar BRE-X gold fraud, and the determined few who recklessly destroyed so many lives with their all-consuming quest for gold, in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. When Canadian miner Borneo Gold Corporation announces the discovery of gold reserves in excess of twenty million ounces, pundits drive the worthless stock to giddying heights as the rich and powerful in three countries move to secure control over the deposit. Dayak tribes are forced off traditional lands, precipitating ethnic blood feuds and a return to headhunting practices as exploration practices destroy pristine forests and pollute the environment. Indonesian Gold brings a depth of description and colour to the archipelago's ethnic tribes as they resist the flood of Moslem migrants from the poorer, Indonesian islands, and reveals the extent of devastation visited upon indigenous peoples by multinational, mining companies.




Bre-X


Book Description

It was hailed as the biggest gold discovery in the world this century, worth more than #15 billion, but it turned out to be the greatest mining scandal of all time. This is the astonishing account of the how Bre-X Minerals shot to fame after announcing the discovery of gold on Borneo.




Gold


Book Description

From the award-winning author of Diamond: A blazing exploration of the human love affair with gold that “combines the engaging style of a travel narrative with sharp-eyed journalistic exposé” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the price of gold skyrocketed—in three years more than doubling from $800 an ounce to $1900. This massive spike drove an unprecedented global gold-mining and exploration boom, much bigger than the gold rush of the 1800s. In Gold, acclaimed author Matthew Hart takes you on an unforgettable journey around the world and through history to tell the extraordinary story of how gold became the world’s most precious commodity. Beginning with a page-turning report from the crime-ridden inferno of the world’s deepest mine, Hart traveled around the world to the sites of the hottest action in gold today, from the biggest new mine in China, to the highly secretive London gold exchange, and the lair of the world’s most powerful gold trader in Geneva, Switzerland. He profiles the leaders of the gold market today, the nature of the current boom, and the likely prospects for the future. From the earliest civilizations, when gold was an icon of sacred and kingly power, Hart tracks its evolution, through conquest, murder, and international mayhem, into the speculative casino-chip that the metal has become. He ends by telling the story of the massive flows of gold that have occurred in the wake of the financial crisis and what the world’s leading experts are saying about the profound changes underway in the gold market and the prospects for the future. “Compelling, stylish, and impressively researched” (The Boston Globe), Gold is a wonderful historical odyssey with important implications for today’s global economy.