Former President Bill Clinton appears to have played a role in helping mining magnate Frank Giustra enter into a lucrative uranium mining deal with Kazakhstan.
That deal, and the ones that followed, coincided with generous donations to the Clinton Foundation.
What follows is an attempt to organize facts gathered by the New York Times, Newsweekand other news sites into a clear, chronological order.
...September 6, 2005: Giustra flies former President Clinton on his private jet for stops in three nations. The stops are all part of Clinton Foundation work to grant cheaper access to AIDS drugs. The first stop on the tour, said to be “arranged hastily,” is Kazakhstan. It will be Clinton’s only post-presidential visit to the country.
...September 8, 2005: UrAsia Energy Ltd. signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Kazatomprom worth $450 million. The New York Times reports that UrAsia went from a second-tier shell company to leading uranium producer overnight. One uranium industry expert tells the Times the selection of UrAsia for the deal is a “mystery.”
...Early 2006: Giustra makes a $31.3 million donation to the Clinton Foundation. The donation is kept secret until December 2007.
September 2006: Giustra “co-produces” former President Clinton’s star-studded 60th birthday gala, an event which eventually raises $21 million for the Clinton Foundation.
February 2007: Uranium One, a South African mining company, buys UrAsia Energy Ltd. for $3.1 billion. The head of Kazatomprom has a private, 3-hour meeting with Bill Clinton at Clinton’s New York home to discuss a forthcoming business deal arranged by Giustra. When asked about the meeting by the New York Times, Giustra denied it happened or that he arranged it. When it is pointed out that Moukhtar Dzhakishev, president of Kazatomprom, has a photo with Mr. Clinton taken inside his home during the meeting, Giustra does an about face. Similarly, a spokesman for Clinton initially denies the meeting took place, then issues a “correction” acknowledging it did.
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