On October 24, 2025, the newspaper Direct News published, on its front page, an article entitled: “Customs offenses worth more than 200 billion FCFA, WHO IS PROTECTING SOMIVA?”.

The content of the article is a web of falsifications by deliberate concealment of the progress and current situation of the customs investigation to which SOMIVA, like several local companies, was subjected in the normal course of business, and in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Republic of Senegal.

As everyone knows, when, following a post-clearance audit, Customs notifies its initial findings, an adversarial procedure is opened in which the taxpayer audited has the opportunity to defend himself, and in particular, to present all the arguments and supporting documents in order to contest the facts with which he is accused.

The article in the Direct News newspaper deliberately conceals the relevant defence that SOMIVA presented in the context of the customs investigation, and which it obviously refrains from reporting in the press.

Even more seriously, the article in the Direct News newspaper deliberately conceals the conclusions of the customs investigation, which are now definitively finalised and which have no connection with the content of the article, which is therefore clearly false.

The truth is that the newspaper Direct News, which has never deigned to approach SOMIVA, which reflects its bad faith, is being manipulated by a minority shareholder of SOMIVA, widely cited in the article, and whose claims have no connection with customs criminal law.

Indeed, the debate on the ownership of a mining title, which in this case has already been definitively settled by the Supreme Court, is outside the scope of customs law.

The process of justifying, valuing and registering research expenditure in the capital of an operating company is also regulated very precisely by the Mining Code and is not subject to customs law, and a fortiori to customs criminal law.

The truth is that the Direct News article is nothing more than a desperate attempt to interfere in the ongoing finalization of the customs procedure.

SOMIVA reserves the right to initiate all procedures that the law makes available to it to establish and punish gratuitous attacks, by defamation, to which it is subjected for obvious commercial motives.

SOMIVA states that it has always respected, and will continue to respect, all the obligations imposed on it by the mining agreement signed with the State of Senegal, which has also been its shareholder since its creation.

SOMIVA is a Senegalese company, which has become a major player in the mining sector, thanks to the efforts of our workers, our technical, commercial and financial partners and the supervision of the competent public services; it is our duty to defend it against the unjustified aggression of which it is the victim, to consolidate and strengthen its contribution to the national economy.

SOMIVA Management