Bre-X Geologist De Guzman A Fall Guy: Kin

Family of Filipino geologist Michael de Guzman said on Thursday he was being blamed for the Busang gold swindle because he was dead and could not defend himself.

"All these half-baked reports.are silly. This is just to pin down somebody who is six feet below the ground who cannot defend himself," de Guzman's younger brother, Simplicio, said.

On Tuesday, investigators hired by the Canadian firm Bre-X Minerals Ltd said de Guzman led a group of employees who salted samples from its Busang site in the jungles of Indonesia over a four-year period. "I think (the report) was very partial," Simplicio said by telephone.

 

Bre-X became the darling of the mining world after it claimed its Busang property contained at least 70 million ounces of gold valued at $25 billion. The claim turned into a hoax after an independent audit firm found that the Busang data had been falsified on an unprecedented scale. in mining history.

De Guzman fell mysteriously to his death in March this year while flying in a helicopter to Busang shortly before the hoax was uncovered.

The family of de Guzman have said they do not believe he killed himself and questioned an Indonesian police report saying he committed suicide.