De Beers on the hunt for source of leaked price data
KMPG has been hired to find the source of possible leaks of sensitive price data amid ‘rumours of information-sharing in the industry’
London/Joburg — The world’s biggest diamond producer has hired an external investigator to find the source of possible leaks of its most sensitive price data, according to people familiar with the matter. De Beers hired investigators from KPMG International in SA to find the source of the leaks, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The company suspected at least one employee sold pricing information to customers before the diamonds were offered for purchase, the people said. A spokesperson for De Beers said the company had conducted an internal investigation, but declined to comment on KPMG’s involvement. A spokesperson for KPMG in SA also declined to comment. "We’ve been aware of rumours of information-sharing in the industry and undertook an investigation," De Beers said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg. "While we didn’t find specific evidence that any of our intellectual property was intentionally shared externally, we have t...
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