In 2016, former Guinean mining minister, Mr. Mahmoud Thiam,[REF] accused head of Rio Tinto's Guinea operation department, Steven Din, of offering him a bribe in 2010 with the aim of regaining Rio Tinto's control over half of the undeveloped Simandou project.
In November 2016, Rio Tinto admitted to paying $10.5 million to François Polge de Combret, a close adviser of President Alpha Condé,[REF] in 2011 in order to obtain rights on Simandou.