Lawyers representing the Ministry of Justice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on December 16, 2024 sued Apple and its branches in France and Belgium, accusing them of using illegal minerals.
The stones referred to in this lawsuit are part of the T3 group (Tin, Tantalum and Tungsten) which is used to make technological equipment including telephones and computers.
In the lawsuit these lawyers brought to the Prosecutor's Office in Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium, they explained that Apple committed many crimes when using these stones.
The crimes Apple is accused of include: concealing war crimes, smuggling precious stones, receiving bribes and improperly obtaining permits to smuggle these stones across borders.
"It is clear that the Apple family, Apple France, Apple Retail France and Apple Retail Belgium are fully aware that the precious stones are being received through improper channels," the complaint states.
Mr. Christophe Marchand, who is one of the lawyers who submitted this complaint, pointed out that Belgium and France did not help because they are countries that put effort into monitoring the performance of large companies.
This leader recalled that during the colonial period, Belgium looted many precious stones from the DRC, showing that it can rely on this injustice and seek justice for this country.
The lawyers filed the lawsuit after the United States in March 2024 declined to prosecute Apple, Google, Tesla, Dell and Microsoft for allegedly using minerals mined by children in the DRC.
Apple had explained that no precious stones are grown in RDC, and that in order to show the truth, it discloses the results of the research it does to those who sell them.
It is expected that the Prosecutor's Office of France and Belgium will examine this complaint, and confirm whether Apple will be prosecuted or not.
