Beny Steinmetz
Beny Steinmetz (Hebrew: בני שטיינמץ; born 2 April 1956) is an Israeli businessman and entrepreneur, with a focus on the mining, energy, real estate and diamond-mining industries.[22] In 2017 Cunico Resources, which was based in The Netherlands, requested arbitration with North Macedonia at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes over its FENI Industries property in Kavadarci.On 14 August 2017, Steinmetz was arrested as part of a joint investigation by Israeli and Swiss anti-corruption officials over allegations of fraud, breach of trust, bribery, obstruction of justice and false registration of corporate documents with the apparent purpose of money laundering.[7] In January 2021, Beny Steinmetz was found guilty in a Swiss court of bribing senior foreign public officials and fraud and forgery of corporate documents.[31] Beny Steinmetz had been involved in a long-running dispute with the government of the Republic of Guinea surrounding the development of Simandou Blocks 1 & 2, part of one of the world's largest iron-ore deposits.[1] As part of the agreement, BSGR would relinquish its rights to Simandou and maintain an interest in the Zogota deposit that would be developed by the head of Niron Metals, Mick Davis.[45] In December 2016, Steinmetz was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and bribery charges following an investigation carried out by Israeli, American, Swiss, and Guinean authorities in coordination with the OECD.[46] He was placed under house arrest in Israel on 19 December 2016, due to accusations that he paid tens of millions of dollars to senior public officials in Guinea to advance his businesses, specifically in connection with BSGR's purchase of Simandou.[47][48] In April 2017, BSGR filed a suit against American billionaire George Soros in U.S. federal court in New York, claiming he had engaged in a lengthy effort to defame the company and sabotage its business in Simandou and around the world.[47][46][49] In 2021, Steinmetz was convicted by a Geneva court of bribery and forging documents to gain mining rights in Guinea and was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of $50 million.[62] The Agnes and Beny Steinmetz Foundation also supports programs that work with at-risk youth, runs after-school facilities for children from disadvantaged families,[63] and offers scholarships to students from difficult socio-economic backgrounds.[70] Both Beny and Agnes Steinmetz hold honorary doctorate degrees from the Netanya Academic College as well as from the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art in recognition of their support for cultural initiatives.