De Beers has denied the "damaging" and "unsubstantiated" allegations by The Sunday Standard of Botswana that it violated sanctions on Russian diamonds.
The weekly had claimed that De Beers sold Russian diamonds in the United States, a move that threatened to “taint” Botswana's diamonds and US jewellers.
“Let us be clear—this allegation is not true," De Beers was quoted as saying by Idex.
"It is concerning that even a cursory review of the facts would have demonstrated that these allegations are baseless."
The group said the article was an attempt to discredit its reputation.
“We expect that this won't be the last unsubstantiated headline. We will stay the course and continue to operate with the ethical integrity that our customers trust and that makes our employees proud," it said.
De Beers said it no longer sourced any Russian diamonds and removed the country from its third-party sourcing list after the conflict with Ukraine started in February 2022.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
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