Namibia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has begun an investigation into allegations of corruption in the diamond trade following claims on social media.
Online activist Michael Amushelelo posted on Facebook on October 24, alleging that Brilliant Star Diamonds Namibia had bribed officials at the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) and in the government. Brilliant Star denies all the claims, and Rapaport News was not able to verify them.
“I can confirm that [the] Anti-Corruption Commission has indeed received the allegations concerning the NDTC and has instituted an investigation into the matter,” an ACC spokesperson told Rapaport News on Tuesday in response to questions about the Brilliant Star allegations. “The investigation is ongoing. However, given the confidential nature of investigations, we are unable to disclose further details, including whether specific individuals have been interviewed or progress made thus far.”
The NDTC is initiating its own independent investigation under the oversight of its board audit committee, a spokesperson for De Beers said the same day. The NDTC is a 50-50 joint venture between De Beers and Namibia that sorts, values and markets the country’s rough diamonds. The NDTC “takes such matters extremely seriously,” the De Beers spokesperson added.
The NDTC has terminated Brilliant Star’s supply agreement, as has Global Sightholder Sales (GSS) – De Beers’ central sales operation – following a “separate investigation,” the De Beers spokesperson said, adding that the subject of that probe “is a matter between NDTC/GSS and Brilliant Star.”
The NDTC board has accepted a request from Brent Eiseb, the NDTC’s CEO, to take a voluntary leave of absence until the board audit committee concludes its independent investigation, a spokesperson for the NDTC said Monday. She declined to comment further. Eiseb referred Rapaport News to the NDTC when contacted for comment.
Company rebuttal
Brilliant Star is an Antwerp-based diamond manufacturer whose Namibian subsidiary operates a factory in Windhoek. Because the company was an NDTC sightholder, any rough the subsidiary bought in Namibia had to be manufactured in the country, with exports permitted only in approved cases.
“Brilliant Star categorically denies that it, or any of its subsidiaries, has paid a bribe to any official in Namibia, including at the Namibia Diamond Trading Company,” the manufacturer told Rapaport News on Sunday. “The allegations you refer to appeared in social media posts. We have not been shown any evidence to support them, and no charge has been brought against Brilliant Star or any of its entities in connection with any bribery allegation. Brilliant Star Diamonds Namibia has been manufacturing diamonds in Namibia for many years and currently employs over 100 people, 71 of them Namibians, reflecting our continued commitment to local manufacturing in Namibia.”
In a separate statement on Monday, Brilliant Star said there was no connection between the bribery allegations and the termination of its sightholder status.
Furthermore, Brilliant Star said two of Amushelelo’s sources were “among three employees suspended by the company in connection with alleged unauthorized cash withdrawals from company funds” and “have an obvious interest in damaging the company.”
Activist posts
In his Facebook post, Amushelelo – who himself is facing multiple legal cases – alleged that Brilliant Star had bought two houses for use by Eiseb and by a “diamond controller inspector.” Rapaport News has seen copies of the title deeds confirming Brilliant Star Diamonds Namibia’s acquisition of two properties in Swakopmund, Namibia, but no evidence of who used them.
The activist also alleged that an official at the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy had used a Brilliant Star bank card to withdraw cash. Rapaport News has seen what purports to be an extract from the company’s general ledger, showing cash withdrawals for January to March, 2026, but could not verify the allegation based on this.
Modestus Amutse, Namibia’s minister of industries, mines and energy, acknowledged the allegations in a November 2 statement and said they “relate to dealings with a privately owned diamond company.” Amutse referred the allegations and published materials to the ACC’s director-general on October 30 and requested an independent investigation, he said.
“The ministry will cooperate fully with the commission and will not comment on the merits of the allegations while the investigation is underway,” the statement continued. “The ministry wishes to assure the Namibian nation that these allegations are being treated with the seriousness they deserve.”
Image: Rough diamonds. (Shutterstock).
