Billionaire Beny Steinmetz put under house arrest on bribe suspicion
Diamond tycoon held in Israel after being detained on suspicion of money laundering, bribing Guinean government officials
London — Beny Steinmetz, the billionaire entangled in a long-running dispute over rights to one of the world’s most valuable mining assets, has been put under house arrest in Israel after being detained on suspicion of bribing Guinean government officials. The 60-year-old, who made his fortune in the diamond trade, was detained on suspicion of bribery and money laundering, Israeli police said. Steinmetz was released to house arrest for two weeks on bail of 100-million shekels ($26m), court documents show. His Israeli and French passports were confiscated and he was barred from leaving Israel for 180 days. Steinmetz did not appear in court. Steinmetz, and other Israelis who live abroad, "are suspected of giving tens of millions of dollars in bribes to senior public sector employees" in Guinea, according to a police statement. "The investigation was carried out in conjunction with law enforcement agencies in the US, Switzerland, Guinea and Israel as part of the Organisation for Econom...
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