Bre-X geologist's brother makes clear-up pledge
Reuters Story - March 29, 1997 06:11
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MANILA, March 29 (Reuter) - The brother of the late chief
Filipino geologist for a Canadian firm that reported a gold
strike in Indonesia said on Saturday "everything will be cleared
up" after the funeral.
The family of Michael de Guzman flew his body to Manila from
Jakarta 11 days after he fell from a helicopter while returning
to the Busang gold find he helped to discover in Indonesia's
East Kalimantan province for Calgary-headquartered Bre-X
Minerals Ltd .
Some Indonesian officials have called de Guzman's death a
suicide as the helicopter was in good condition and one of the
letters they said de Guzman left behind said he was suffering
from acute hepatitis.
"We would like to bury my brother first," Simplicio (Jojo)
de Guzman, who accompanied Michael de Guzman's body from
Jakarta, told reporters at the airport. "After that, we will
probably have a press conference."
"I wouldn't like to comment on anything at the moment," he
said, when asked about reports that his brother killed himself.
Queried on letters reported to have been left behind by the
geologist, Simplicio said: "Everything will be cleared up after
my brother is buried."
"If there is anything in this world, one thing I can tell
you is that my brother is not a liar," Simplicio said when asked
if his brother left any note that said something about the
Busang gold find.
"If he is living right now, he can tell you the gold is
there."
The penny-stock Bre-X company became a darling of the
Toronto Stock Exchange after it reported the Busang gold strike,
which was initially touted as the biggest single find since gold
was discovered on South Africa's Witwatersrand late in the 19th
century.
Bre-X said early this year the Busang deposit held at least
71 million ounces of gold, worth about $20 billion at current
gold prices.
But Bre-X shares were hit after news that de Guzman had
fallen out of a helicopter on his way to the Busang property and
after a company official said the deposit might not be nearly as
big as projected.
"My brother is a very methodical person," Simplicio de Guzman said. "He is very analytical... All
these speculations of
the gold not being there, it's unthinkable."
Michael De Guzman's wife, Teresa, who was among the family
members who accompanied her husband's body on the flight to
Manila, was unavailable for comment. |
