Notorious gold smuggler makes U-turn, denies receiving Ghana government contract

Even though the focus of the investigative film is Zimbabwe and how complicity in high places with people like Mathias helps with laundering of illicit proceeds amid influence peddling; Alistair also mentioned other countries where he wields illicit business influence within corridors of power.

In West Africa, Ghana was the only country that he claimed to have connections in.

In his narration to undercover agents, he revealed among others, how he allegedly smuggles $40 million worth of gold from the country every month.

In the fourth episode of the series, Alistair Mathis said that his firm acted as an intermediary in the allocation contracts for projects by the government of Ghana.

“I buy a lot of stuff in my name on behalf of politicians… In Africa, I do government contracts. In Ghana, I take tenders, construction of roads, procurement, supplying different things, oil, this that.”

He went on to narrate how the spoils of Ghanaian government contracts are shared between himself and corrupt politicians.

Denial in the face of evidence:

When Al Jazeera contacted him after completing their investigation, Alistair denied his words captured by investigators.

Al Jazeera posted his denials at the tail end of the particular episode. It read thus:

“Alistair Mathias denied that he designed mechanisms to launder money and said that he never laundered money or gold or offered to do such things.

“He told us he had never had any working relationship with Emmerson Mnangagwa, Ewan Macmillan or any of the African politicians he identified to our reporters.

“Mr Mathias denied ever being awarded any tender by the Ghanaian government or entering any government contracts in any African country.”

On his now discredited claim that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was a friend and lawyer, Al Jazeera wrote: “President Akufo-Addo of Ghana told us that he had no recollection of acting as a lawyer for Alistair Mathias or his company.”