A Dutch-based shell company linked to a controversial Israeli diamond and commodities trader has paid a €25.8 million fine for bribery in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dutch public prosecution service said on Tuesday.

The fine relates to payments made to secure licences for cobalt and copper mines in the country, the department said in a statement.

The company, Fleurette Properties Limited, was registered in the Netherlands for tax purposes and formed part of a wider network of companies controlled by Dan Gertler that were active in mining, gold and oil production in Congo.

The case was opened in 2018 after the United States placed Fleurette on a sanctions list over suspected corruption.

According to the NRC, a former Dutch tax official was also involved in the Dutch corporate structure linked to the company. He sat on the board of the Fleurette Group, a requirement to ensure the companies were considered tax resident in the Netherlands.

The official had previously worked for the tax authority and the finance ministry before setting up his own advisory firm in 2003 specialising in tax structures.

A 2013 report by the Africa Progress Panel, led by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, concluded that Congo lost more than $1.3 billion in revenue after mining concessions were sold at far below their estimated value.