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Belgium has begun a criminal probe into allegations that the iPhone maker Apple is facing that suggest it has knowingly sourced ‘blood minerals’ from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This comes after the DRC filed criminal complaints in Belgium and France against subsidiaries of the technology group in mid-December.
Lawyers acting on behalf of the Congolese government have called the alleged situation a “massive laundering and greenwashing operation,” according to the Financial Times. They suggest the company used minerals supplied by armed groups.
As reported by Reuters, the international lawyers have made their case that Apple is benefiting from the minerals obtained in the country and then laundered through well-established supply chains.
The legal team representing the country includes Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Partners LLP in Washington DC, William Bourdon of Bourdon & Associés in Paris, and Christophe Marchand of Jus Cogens in Brussels.
What are the allegations against Apple?
When a press release was published in December announcing the filing of criminal complaints, Robert Amsterdam said: “Color Apple red, and not green. It is a trillion-dollar company that must be assumed to know the consequences of its actions. Enough with denials of accountability and hiding behind the false narrative of supply chain defenses!”
Christophe Marchand said: “These complaints filed against Apple are a matter of great public interest at a time when European countries, consumers and non-governmental organizations are increasing their scrutiny of international supply chains.”
The lawyers also wrote to the President of the European Commission to inform her of the filing and to request an opening of dialogue.
Now, a month on, prosecutors in Belgium are reported to have appointed an investigative judge to probe the case. A decision is said to still be decided on in France.
Apple has said it ‘strongly disputes’ the claims from the DRC and stated it was ‘deeply committed to responsible sourcing of minerals.’
In a 2023 filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Apple indicated none of its supply chain partners had financed or been involved in transactions with armed groups in Congo or elsewhere.
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