Het was de grootste goudvondst in de geschiedenis… totdat dat niet zo bleek te zijn. In 1995 kondigde het Canadese mijnbouwbedrijf Bre-X aan dat het diep in de jungle van Indonesië een enorme hoeveelheid goud had gevonden. De aandelenkoersen schoten omhoog terwijl investeerders van over de hele wereld vochten om hun aandeel. Maar toen de hoofdgeoloog van Bre-X op mysterieuze wijze uit een helikopter viel en omkwam, begon het verhaal van de miljardenontdekking uiteen te vallen.
Bijna dertig jaar later is nog steeds niemand ter verantwoording geroepen. Nu neemt presentator Suzanne Wilton de luisteraars mee van de jungle van Indonesië naar een klein stadje in Alberta, Canada, om te onderzoeken wat er werkelijk is gebeurd en meer te ontdekken over de man achter de grootste goudfraude aller tijden.
It was the biggest gold discovery in history…until it wasn’t. In 1995, Canadian mining company Bre-X announced to the world it had found a significant amount of gold deep in the jungles of Indonesia. Stock prices soared as investors worldwide fought to stake their claim. But when Bre-X’s chief geologist mysteriously fell from a helicopter over the jungle, the story of the billion dollar discovery began to unravel. Nearly three decades later, no one has ever been held accountable. Now, host Suzanne Wilton takes listeners from the jungles of Indonesia to small town Alberta, Canada, to investigate what really happened and find out more about the man behind the biggest goldmine fraud of all time. Produced for the BBC World Service and CBC by BBC Scotland Productions.
Please note, this series contains references to suicide and has some graphic content.
A new witness comes forward with important new evidence over the fate of Bre-X geologist Michael de Guzman. The investigation takes a dramatic turn. Could Suzanne finally be close to finding out what really happened? Did de Guzman take his own life to free himself of the scam, was he murdered or did he hatch an elaborate escape?
Since this episode was recorded, John McBeth has sadly passed away. We are very grateful for his contribution to this story.
Please note, this episode contains difficult subject matter, including references to suicide and death. It includes some graphic content.
