By Graham Vanbergen
Over the millennia the mining of gold has driven some of the world’s most brutal practices, as armed militias enslave entire populations, forcing them to mine with their bare hands or use rudimental tools at the blade of a machete or point of a gun. There is nothing new about ‘blood gold’, it’s just that you had no idea that you were likely supporting it when you bought that special piece of jewelry for your partner or relative. From cheap high street retail chains to the fashion houses of Paris and New York, blood gold adorns us all.
It might surprise you to learn that a minimum of two thirds and possibly as much as 90 percent of the world’s gold goes, at some stage through Switzerland. It stands to reason then that four of the six largest gold refineries in the world have their headquarters there.
And what better country to carry out such a task than one of the most trusted nations on earth. According to Transparency International’s latest ‘Corruption Perception Index‘, Switzerland ranks number seven in the world as least corrupt.
This week, truepublica published a report on what an absurdity this report really is when it came to Britain ranking as number 10 in global terms. Likewise, Switzerland is mired in international terror