U.S. State Dept Issues Guinea Kimberley Process Certificates Warning

The United States Department of State has issued a warning relatig to rough diamond shipments accompanied by Kimberley Process Certificates (KPCs) allegedly from the Republic of Guinea. According to the warning, two attempts have been made to import parcels of rough diamonds that had counterfeit Guinean KP Certificates.

The attemps, made in early May, were blocked after a U.S. customs brokerage notified the Department of State, which confirmed with the Guinean authorities that the KP Certificates in question were counterfeit.

This was not the only such attempt. China reported that at two different occasions attempts have been made to use counterfeit Guinean KPCs for import into its territory, as well.

“In light of these circumstances, all U .S. rough diamond importers, customs brokers, and freight forwarders are advised to use extreme caution when processing transactions involving Guinean KP Certificates,” Special Advisor for Conflict Diamonds Brad Brooks-Rubin warned in a letter.

Brooks-Rubin invited the industry to email his office (USKimberleyProcess@state.gov) with questions concerning the authenticity of KP Certificates.