February 22, 2003, Interfax Information Services reported quoting the ALROSA President Vladimir Kalitin that his company’s partners in the new Angolan Luo-Mining Society of Camatchia-Camagico, SARL, will be Angolan Endiama, Brazilian Odebrecht, as well as ASCorp (Angolan Selling Corporation).

This information was reprinted and commented on by some publications, including the Kommersant and Izvestia Dailies. As Lev Leviev, an Israeli diamantaire and businessman, is one of ASCorp’s major shareholders, the newspapers rushed to announce that ‘Lev Leviev is to be a partner of ALROSA’s’.

The ALROSA Public Relations Department has to declare that the above quote by Interfax contains an error. In his interview Mr. Kalitin mentioned among ALROSA partners Escom Mining – a division of the Portugese Espirito Santo Financial Group.

The Luo-Mining Society of Camatchia-Camagico has been established for commercial development of the Camachia and Camagico diamond deposits. Integrating this joint venture are:

Angola’s state diamond mining company ENDIAMA E.P.
HIPERGESTA S.A.R.L. (Angola),
ANGODIAM S.A.R.L.,
ESCOM-ALROSA LTD.