The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) is reportedly investigating a number of transactions at the embattled BCL mine. On Wednesday assistant Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Dikgang Makgalemele informed parliament that 18 cases were classified for investigation, nine were closed due to lack of evidence while eight were still under investigation. He said the reports involved issues of conflict of interest, corruption in security tenders and corruption in the recruitment process, payment of bribes relating to transportation tenders, and payment of bribes in maintenance contracts. Information gathered by this publication has revealed the main cases investigated by the corruption burst unit revolves around the ambitious POLARIS II project, which was launched by the state-owned mining company few years ago. The Norilsk Nickel assets After paying off government, BCL embarked on an ambitious expansion programme known as POLARIS II and as part of diversifying its products the state-owned mining company reached an agreement with Norilsk Nickel to buy stakes in two nickel mines in South Africa and Botswana for $337 million from Russia’s Norilsk Nickel, the world’s top nickel and palladium producer. The decision to embark on the ambitious project is the brainchild of its Managing Director…