{"id":39460,"date":"2025-02-05T15:57:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T13:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/?post_type=investigations&#038;p=39460"},"modified":"2025-03-24T10:24:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T08:24:19","slug":"how-chinese-companies-worked-with-horatiu-potra-a-former-mercenary","status":"publish","type":"investigations","link":"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/en\/investigations\/uncategorized\/how-chinese-companies-worked-with-horatiu-potra-a-former-mercenary\/","title":{"rendered":"How Chinese companies worked with Hora\u021biu Potra, a former mercenary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hora\u021biu Potra collected nearly eight million dollars over three years to protect the economic interests of the Chinese Communist Party in Africa. The Romanian mercenary received the money through an offshore company in Malta, which conducted transactions from the spring of 2015 until the spring of 2018.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>During the same period, Potra and his brigade guarded mines, construction sites, and logistical outposts in Sierra Leone for the Chinese metallurgical giant Shandong Steel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From these transactions, Hora\u021biu Potra redistributed over 3.5 million dollars through three channels: personal accounts, another offshore company in Panama, and a West African company.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He was introduced to Chinese corporations by Frank Timi\u0219, the founder of the notorious &#8220;Ro\u0219ia Montan\u0103&#8221; business\u2014one of the most corrupt schemes involving Romania\u2019s natural resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Maltese offshore account was exposed when Potra had a falling out with his own intermediary in the company. Their disputes led to legal battles in Romania, and financial documents submitted to the case files ended up in the possession of Captura and RISE Project reporters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over the years, Hora\u021biu Potra has been involved in various controversies and recently returned to public attention due to his connections with far-right politician C\u0103lin Georgescu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He is also nicknamed the &#8220;Romanian Prigozhin&#8221; due to his mercenary business, which has recruited hundreds of gendarmes, police officers, military personnel from the Ministry of Defense (MApN), intelligence officers from SRI, and SPP (Protection and Guard Service) agents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/potra-2.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">Where the money came from <\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Between 2012 and 2018, Hora\u021biu Potra worked for three years for Frank Timi\u0219 and another three years for a major Chinese corporation. Passed between employers along with the African mines he was guarding, Potra handled millions of dollars in transactions over these six years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When he was hired in April 2012, Hora\u021biu Potra&#8217;s business card stated that he was the security director at African Minerals Limited (AML), a London-based company around which Timi\u0219 had structured his mining holding with operations in West Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n<!-- Readmore -->\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-readmore\">\r\n\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"right\",\"id\":36742,\"width\":482,\"height\":577,\"sizeSlug\":\"medium\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium is-resized\">\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_39169\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39169\" style=\"width: 399px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39169 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/5342384-Mediafax_Foto-Ghita_Porumb-1-1-923x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"399\" height=\"442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/5342384-Mediafax_Foto-Ghita_Porumb-1-1-923x1024.jpg 923w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/5342384-Mediafax_Foto-Ghita_Porumb-1-1-271x300.jpg 271w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/5342384-Mediafax_Foto-Ghita_Porumb-1-1-768x852.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/5342384-Mediafax_Foto-Ghita_Porumb-1-1-1385x1536.jpg 1385w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/5342384-Mediafax_Foto-Ghita_Porumb-1-1-1847x2048.jpg 1847w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 399px) 100vw, 399px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-39169\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Frank Timi\u0219. Source: Mediafax Foto<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"157\">A former British colony, Sierra Leone occupies an area three times smaller than Romania on the African coast of the Atlantic Ocean and is rich in minerals.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"159\" data-end=\"410\">The deposits here have become famous mainly for their diamond potential, but the soil also holds impressive quantities of gold, iron, rutile, and bauxite. Nowadays, even heavy metals like lithium, essential for new technologies, are being extracted.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"412\" data-end=\"601\">However, this <em data-start=\"426\" data-end=\"437\">El Dorado<\/em> has caused political instability and suffering for the local population, painting in red the African paradox of resource-rich countries inhabited by poor people.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"603\" data-end=\"1044\">The diamond mines in the south of the country were at the center of a bloody civil war that lasted 11 years (1991\u20132002) and claimed over 50,000 lives. Beyond the atrocities and mass executions that shocked the world in the 1990s, the conflict led to the international regulation of the diamond trade (Kimberley Process Certification) because war-driven trafficking was financing terrorist organizations in the Middle East and North Africa.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1046\" data-end=\"1207\">When the guns fell silent, institutionalized corruption remained in power, dominating a series of exploitative deals involving the country\u2019s mineral resources.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1209\" data-end=\"1457\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">In the first decade of peace, mining accounted for 80% of Sierra Leone&#8217;s exports (with diamonds making up half of that), but poverty became chronic. Only a small political elite and the mining companies\u2014who extracted much but paid little\u2014prospered.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<!-- END: Readmore -->\r\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2004, through a dramatic turn of events, Frank Timi\u0219 took over a local fraudulent scheme involving multiple diamond concessions from associates of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the winner of the civil war (who passed away in 2014).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The transaction handed Timi\u0219 valuable deposits in the country and secured him a useful alliance in the capital, Freetown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Listed on London\u2019s Alternative Investment Market (AIM), shares of the African Minerals group saw moderate growth until 2010 when their value suddenly tripled. At that time, Timi\u0219 struck another major deal in Sierra Leone, announcing the discovery of a massive magnetite deposit in Tonkolili, a central district home to Africa\u2019s second-largest iron mine. The total estimated ore reserves were 11.9 billion tons, with an operational period projected at 60 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/colaj-carti-vizita-HP.png\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">Photo collage: Mediafax, personal archive, Facebook<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August 2010, Frank Timi\u0219 signed a mining agreement with the government of Sierra Leone, granting him the right to exploit the Tonkolili deposits while paying minimal royalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The prospects of this project, combined with a favorable political environment on the ground, created the perfect conditions for attracting major funding from the London capital market and gaining entry into the ranks of the world&#8217;s leading raw material suppliers. As a result, the Romanian millionaire focused entirely on the Tonkolili mines, betting everything on this venture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The business truly took off when Timi\u0219\u2019s scheme in Sierra Leone caught the attention of Chinese corporations, which were then aggressively expanding their economic presence in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first step was taken by China Railway Materials Commercial Corporation, a state-controlled company, which acquired a significant stake in AML (12.3%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Beijing was particularly interested in the iron ore deposits, and in September 2011, the state-owned metallurgical giant Shandong Iron and Steel Group (SISG) purchased a quarter of the project. Specifically, they acquired 25% of the shares in Tonkolili Iron Ore Ltd, the local subsidiary through which AML managed large-scale mining operations in the country&#8217;s central region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-red-color has-text-color\"><blockquote><p><em>&#8220;Our partnership provides African Minerals shareholders with significant project funding, accelerating its delivery and ensuring SISG a long-term supply of iron ore (\u2026)&#8221;<\/em><\/p><cite>Frank Timi\u0219, in an interview for Global Infrastructure Magazine<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The total capitalization announced by the Chinese in Timi\u0219\u2019s holding\u2014$1.5 billion\u2014strongly boosted the entire business in Sierra Leone, including on London\u2019s alternative stock market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The infusion was intended to develop, in three phases, the necessary infrastructure for transporting ore from Tonkolili via a new railway to Chinese-flagged cargo ships anchored in Port Loko, where even the port facilities were to be built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of this kicked off at full speed, making AML the largest employer in Sierra Leone. Local media reported that over 10,000 people were working for the company at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/President-Ernest-Bai-Koroma-and-Mr-Frank-Timis-in-a-hearty-handshake.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:467px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">Frank Timi\u0219 next to president Koroma. Source: African Minerals<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The integrated system the Chinese needed to extract the ore and transport it to the ocean turned much of the country into a construction site, while the expansion of mining operations led to the displacement of indigenous populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Social unrest was inevitable, but Timi\u0219\u2019s political influence in the host country was at its peak, as he was connected to both major parties in Sierra Leone (APC &amp; SLPP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By 2012, when Hora\u021biu Potra took over security management, AML was already in its boom phase. The company\u2019s shares had reached record highs on the stock market, and Frank Timi\u0219 appeared on Forbes\u2019 millionaire list with an estimated fortune of $1.1 billion. He was considered the richest Romanian by economic media in Bucharest and had purchased two luxury jets (Bombardier Challenger 604).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the Tonkolili mines were operating at full capacity under Chinese financial backing, and convoys of heavy machinery kicked up red dust on Sierra Leone\u2019s battered roads as they moved between various logistical points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#00bbff1a\">The local people regarded the large-scale operations with a mix of fear and respect. Most had a relative or a friend working for the company, either in the mines or on infrastructure projects, earning monthly wages of up to $50. With that amount, a local could barely afford to step into the few grocery stores in Freetown, which were meant for expats and the elite. In other words, $50 was roughly the price a tourist would pay for a single night in a relatively decent guesthouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At some point, however, Frank Timi\u0219&#8217;s prosperous period began to fade. An Ebola epidemic that paralyzed the country and fluctuations in the price of iron extracted from Tonkolili severely reduced his working capital, ultimately bringing the operation to a halt in December 2014. That was the moment when his Chinese partners &#8220;eliminated&#8221; him.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/potra-uniforma.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:343px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">Hora\u021biu Potra. Source: Facebook<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, they executed a $170 million debt that Timi\u0219 was unable to repay and for which he had pledged the remaining 75% of the shares in the Tonkolili subsidiary. The businessman was effectively removed from his flagship project. The full takeover was formally completed in April 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Hora\u021biu Potra remained. Over the next three years, the mercenary earned more than $8 million through his offshore company in Malta for security services provided to the new owners in Sierra Leone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shandong Iron and Steel Group continued drilling in Tonkolili until 2019, when it was replaced by another Chinese corporation, Kingho Mining Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Sierra Leone aligned itself with other African countries that had entered Beijing&#8217;s economic sphere, securing multiple loans from Chinese banks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the Asian superpower, Frank Timi\u0219 served as a sort of Trojan horse in the presidential palace in Freetown\u2014just as Timi\u0219 was the one who opened the door for Hora\u021biu Potra to secure lucrative contracts with Chinese state-owned companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n<!-- Readmore -->\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-readmore\">\r\n\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"right\",\"id\":36742,\"width\":482,\"height\":577,\"sizeSlug\":\"medium\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} --><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_39176\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39176\" style=\"width: 375px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39176\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/7718824-Hepta_Mediafax_Foto-ABACAPRESS_Hepta-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"375\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/7718824-Hepta_Mediafax_Foto-ABACAPRESS_Hepta-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/7718824-Hepta_Mediafax_Foto-ABACAPRESS_Hepta-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/7718824-Hepta_Mediafax_Foto-ABACAPRESS_Hepta-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/7718824-Hepta_Mediafax_Foto-ABACAPRESS_Hepta-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/7718824-Hepta_Mediafax_Foto-ABACAPRESS_Hepta-2048x1367.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-39176\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Open-pit mining operation. Source: Mediafax Photo\/Hepta<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"129\">Since it has immense production capacities, China&#8217;s industry requires just as many raw materials to maintain its supply chains.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"131\" data-end=\"308\">As a result, African markets have become key geopolitical targets for the Chinese Communist Party, which has massively increased its influence there over the past two decades.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"310\" data-end=\"598\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">By 2020, Chinese factories were consuming a third of all minerals and metals exported from Africa, while Chinese construction companies were managing dozens of African infrastructure contracts. Beijing&#8217;s investments on the continent had already reached approximately $155 billion by 2024.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-readmore-content\">\r\n\t\t\t<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"314\">Over time, from being Africa\u2019s largest trading partner, China also became its primary creditor, gaining access to an increasing number of natural resources. Carefully constructed, China\u2019s economic offensive has gradually led to monopolies on strategic raw materials and their international distribution networks.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"316\" data-end=\"858\">A case study is cobalt, a metal essential for the automotive and military industries, used in the production of electric batteries, aerospace alloys, smart munitions, and crude oil refining. Out of the 10 largest cobalt mines in the world, nine are located in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with half of them operated by Chinese corporations. 80% of the world&#8217;s cobalt production is extracted here and transported via infrastructure also built by the Chinese, through Zambia and Tanzania, to the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"860\" data-end=\"1174\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">The government in Kinshasa\u2014the same one for which Hora\u021biu Potra supplied military instructors and mercenaries to suppress rebel militias in the east of the country\u2014recently extended the concession agreement for cobalt mines to the Chinese. In this context, the stability of the DRC is a vital interest for Beijing.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-readmore-btn\">\r\n\t\t\t<button class=\"btn-readmore\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"show\">More <i class=\"icon-dropdown-xl\"><\/i><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hide\">Hide <i class=\"icon-dropdown-xl\"><\/i><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<\/button>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<!-- END: Readmore -->\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Potra-utilaj-gabarit-greu.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:838px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">Photo collage: Personal Archive, Freepik<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">What exactly did Potra do for work, and for whom?<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a security manager, Hora\u021biu Potra held a top position in the mining conglomerate founded by Timi\u0219. He was practically everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When he got the job, the Romanian mercenary moved his residence to London, on 61 Walton Street, a bohemian Victorian-style street connecting the Chelsea district to Westminster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there, navigating London traffic, Potra could reach his office in just 10 minutes. The headquarters of the African Minerals (AML) group was nearby, at 5 Stratton Street, right in the heart of the British metropolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The images below, showing Potra behind the wheel of a limousine, were captured by our reporters in February 2013, near an entrance to the business wing of the Stratton House building\u2014a luxurious business center that housed AML\u2019s offices at the time, located at the intersection with London\u2019s busiest boulevard, Piccadilly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/potra-secventa-film.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Potra\u2019s responsibilities in the company involved the security of personnel, logistics, and transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Frank Timi\u0219 took up most of his time. The former soldier became the boss\u2019s shadow and a courier for key figures in Timi\u0219\u2019s circle. He accompanied Timi\u0219 almost everywhere\u2014in the London headquarters, on business trips, or at family events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were filmed together in Romania at Timi\u0219\u2019s mother\u2019s funeral in June 2012, after arriving on a private jet at Baia Mare airport. At that time, Potra was newly hired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/POtra-secventa-film-Timis.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Business flights between the United Kingdom and West Africa were also a routine part of Hora\u021biu Potra\u2019s work at African Minerals. Most of them led to Sierra Leone, the group\u2019s main base of operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Potra primarily used his French passport for these trips, according to data from the UK Border Police system, and the jets chartered by the holding company frequently landed with him on board at Lungi Airport in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Travel documents (GenDec) also reveal his entourage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When he wasn\u2019t escorting Timi\u0219\u2014who used his Australian passport\u2014Potra accompanied company employees, contractors, or shareholder representatives to Africa, such as Mr. Yaowei Wang, former head of the import department at the Shandong Steel consortium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, ensuring personal security was not the real challenge in Sierra Leone\u2014guarding the logistical hubs was. Potra had to deal with the lack of basic infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/colaj-logistic.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Robberies remained the main threat looming over the map of storage facilities and equipment yards, and operations moved slowly due to poor infrastructure\u2014roads there were unpaved and turned to mud during the rainy season. Additionally, the infrastructure projects launched by the Chinese to connect the mines to the port further complicated the situation. Hundreds of machines and thousands of tons of materials, placed deep within mining territories, had to be guarded at gunpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The security solution involved a few massive, fenced, and well-guarded logistical bases, where fuel tanks took up the most space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fuel theft was the primary concern. Diesel is the \u201clifeblood\u201d of Africa, where electricity is absent in most rural areas. AML consumed vast amounts, relying on hundreds of generators that devoured tons of fuel. Without supplies, entire segments of operations would grind to a halt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Potra brought a brigade of Romanians to Sierra Leone, some of whom he had personally trained in Media\u0219, and formed mixed teams with trusted locals. A large part of his job involved coordinating these small units that guarded the company\u2019s logistical outposts or escorted its transports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The expertise he gained on the ground was enough for the Chinese to consider Hora\u021biu Potra indispensable, even after they pushed Frank Timi\u0219 out of the business. Beijing\u2019s corporations would go on to funnel millions into the Romanian mercenary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">The business and the profits<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Potra received the money through an offshore company in Malta (AO Futuro Ltd), from where he redirected it into other personal accounts. The mailbox company was established in October 2014, when Frank Timi\u0219 had already begun his decline in Sierra Leone, and it remained operational throughout the period in which Potra later worked for the Chinese (April 2015 \u2013 April 2018).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Maltese records, a Romanian woman appears as an intermediary, associated with Hora\u021biu Potra in several businesses in Media\u0219. She also managed the offshore entity\u2019s account, which was opened at a Romanian bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Approximately 80% of the funds came from the Chinese corporation Shandong Steel, through its two subsidiaries in Sierra Leone that had been taken over from Frank Timi\u0219 (Tonkolili Iron Ore Ltd and African Railway and Port Services Ltd). The first managed the iron and magnetite mines in Sierra Leone, while the other handled infrastructure. Together, they spent nearly eight million dollars in collaboration with the mercenary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Frank Timi\u0219\u2019s companies also made payments to Potra during the three years he primarily worked for the Chinese, but the amount accounted for only about 20% of his total earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Potra-firme-bani-1.png\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">Through the accounts of the Malta-based company, nearly $10 million passed between 2015 and 2018.<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the revenues through the Maltese channel, over $3.5 million represents the amount redistributed by Potra to two other offshore companies he owned or to his personal account between 2015 and 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">What Potra Says About the Transactions<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We asked Hora\u021biu Potra about the financial operations conducted through the Maltese entity, why he chose this method, and whether he paid taxes in any fiscal jurisdiction for the $3.5 million he redistributed. His response was as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-red-color has-text-color\"><blockquote><p><strong><em>&#8220;What\u2019s your problem with me earning money abroad and spending it in Romania?! You\u2019d be better off investigating those who steal and send the people\u2019s money out of the country\u2014money that probably pays you, the anti-Romanian press! Thanks!&#8221;<\/em><\/strong><\/p><cite>Hora\u021biu Potra<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Legionnaire\u2019s transactions, however, involve his companies in Panama and Sierra Leone, to which he systematically transferred money received from the Chinese. But Potra argues that this doesn\u2019t really matter, since the transactions only involved Romanian banks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;The money was sent to accounts of companies registered in Romania. So, the money stayed in Romania; it didn\u2019t go anywhere abroad. It\u2019s one thing to bring money into the country, and another to steal it and send it offshore. You know very well that I haven\u2019t earned a single penny in Romania (\u2026) but now you have orders from above to put me in a bad light, obviously with another target in mind, because I\u2019m not necessarily the one being aimed at.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of the time this article was published, neither businessman Frank Timi\u0219 nor the Chinese consortium Shandong Steel had responded to our inquiries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">The woman behind the mercenary<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The person who covered for Hora\u021biu Potra in the offshore company in Malta, where he received money from the Chinese, is a businesswoman from Media\u0219. Her name is Maria T\u0103tar, and she co-owns properties with Potra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mercenary and Ms. T\u0103tar had a long-standing relationship of trust, investing together in real estate. Typically, she managed their shared finances and represented him in various transactions. She was even authorized on Potra\u2019s personal accounts and provided him with several blank-signed documents (a method often used by hidden business beneficiaries to control intermediaries).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Maria T\u0103tar does not want to speak to the press. When we first tried to contact her, she snapped: <em>&#8220;I recently closed the company in Malta and had to pay a lot of money to the tax authorities there. My name was on it, so I was responsible! It was a stupid decision, and I don\u2019t want to know anything about it anymore. I have no comment on this matter (\u2026) Yes, the city is small, I\u2019ve known Potra for a long time.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, T\u0103tar shared more details with the police after her collaboration with Potra took a serious turn for the worse. Despite having handled millions together through their African dealings, they are now battling in court over a few hundred thousand dollars. We have reviewed the case documents.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/8013521-Mediafax_Foto-Andreea_Alexandru-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:337px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-red-color\">Hora\u021biu Potra at the IGPR headquarters in Bucharest. Source: Mediafax Photo.<br><\/mark><\/em><br><br><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The disagreements began to surface in the summer of 2020, and by the following year, they were already filing criminal complaints against each other. The root of their conflict is linked to an incident from four years ago, which led to a police raid on Potra after he threatened to kidnap the then-director of Romgaz, Adrian Volintiru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maria T\u0103tar allegedly even knew where Potra hid his weapons in Media\u0219, according to a recording in which the mercenary accused her of reporting him to the police. That conversation was secretly recorded by Potra himself and submitted as evidence in their ongoing legal disputes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Potra claims that his former associate owes him money based on a loan contract dated 2018, but Maria T\u0103tar disputes the document, arguing that it was forged. Marked by a battle of expert analyses, the case was dismissed by Sibiu prosecutors last autumn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We attempted to confront Ms. T\u0103tar with the information from the case file, but she remained just as reserved: &#8220;<em>Everything I had to say, I stated to the prosecutor&#8217;s office. These are fictitious documents. The court is the only place where I expect justice.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\r\n<!-- Readmore -->\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-readmore\">\r\n\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"right\",\"id\":36742,\"width\":482,\"height\":577,\"sizeSlug\":\"medium\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39190 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/palat-cismigiu-1024x805.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"476\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/palat-cismigiu-1024x805.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/palat-cismigiu-300x236.png 300w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/palat-cismigiu-768x604.png 768w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/palat-cismigiu-1536x1208.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/palat-cismigiu.png 1912w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><\/figcaption>&nbsp;<\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>A former Communist Party palace near Ci\u0219migiu \u2013 the jewel of Potra\u2019s fortune\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"234\">Last summer, Hora\u021biu Potra purchased an imposing building on Ionel Perlea Street in Bucharest, which once housed the Palace of the District Committee of the PMR (Romanian Workers&#8217; Party) and later the PCR (Romanian Communist Party).<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"236\" data-end=\"427\">Located near Ci\u0219migiu Park, the property consists of a 722-square-meter plot of land and a 292-square-meter building with a second floor, an attic, and remarkable neoclassical architecture.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"429\" data-end=\"553\">Land registry documents show that Potra still has an outstanding mortgage of nearly $1.2 million owed to the former owner.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"555\" data-end=\"786\">This acquisition in the heart of the capital does not appear in the list of 78 plots of land and 29 properties declared in Potra\u2019s asset statement, which he submitted a few months later as a local councilor in the city of Media\u0219.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"788\" data-end=\"1066\">Potra owns dozens of hectares of forest in Cluj, several hectares of farmland in Sibiu and Mure\u0219 counties, as well as numerous residential and commercial properties in Media\u0219 (one co-owned with Maria T\u0103tar). He also owns a house in Bucharest (together with Ana Maria Nedelcu).<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1068\" data-end=\"1276\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">His assets further include two luxury cars and 15 kg of gold, valued at approximately 6 million lei. In his bank accounts, he declared amounts in the range of hundreds of thousands of euros, dollars, and lei.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<!-- END: Readmore -->\r\n\n\n\r\n<!-- Readmore -->\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-readmore\">\r\n\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"right\",\"id\":36742,\"width\":482,\"height\":577,\"sizeSlug\":\"medium\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium is-resized\">\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_39192\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39192\" style=\"width: 339px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39192\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Potra-Caseta.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"339\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Potra-Caseta.png 507w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Potra-Caseta-156x300.png 156w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 339px) 100vw, 339px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-39192\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Hora\u021biu Potra. Source: Facebook<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>Who is Hora\u021biu Potra<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"146\">Hora\u021biu Potra, 55 years old, began his military experience in the Securitate troops at a unit in C\u00e2mpina specialized in transmissions (UM 0865).<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"148\" data-end=\"412\">After the Revolution, in 1992, he enlisted in the French Foreign Legion, where he served for the next five years. Initially sent to the parachute regiment in Calvi, Corsica, he was later assigned to the Legion\u2019s cyber service within the main regiment in Aubagne.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"414\" data-end=\"642\">After completing his contract, Potra obtained French citizenship and worked with Paul Barril, the former number two in GIGN, the elite unit of the gendarmerie. Through Barril, he entered the private security contractor market.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"644\" data-end=\"843\">Potra\u2019s first clients were from the Middle East, but he quickly shifted to the African continent, where Barril\u2019s network had expertise and was notorious for its involvement in the Rwandan genocide.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"845\" data-end=\"1036\">By 2003, Potra was training the presidential guard in the Central African Republic. Fifteen years later, in 2017, he returned to Bangui to work at the forefront of the Russian Wagner Group.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1038\" data-end=\"1149\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">His primary advantage now is his extensive network of contacts and relationships built over time across Africa.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-readmore-content\">\r\n\t\t\t<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"198\">Potra was also involved in diamond and arms transactions, as revealed by <strong data-start=\"73\" data-end=\"89\">Rise Project<\/strong> in 2012, after discovering that part of the illicit money was donated to the <strong data-start=\"167\" data-end=\"195\">Romanian Orthodox Church<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"200\" data-end=\"726\">In Romania, the mercenary has been arrested three times. The first time was in 2010, when he was accused of drug trafficking, but he only received a sentence for illegal possession of firearms. The police arrested him again in 2020 after he threatened to kidnap the <strong data-start=\"466\" data-end=\"476\">Romgaz<\/strong> director, but he walked free once again after the victim withdrew his complaint. The latest arrest happened in December, when he was stopped in traffic and taken in for questioning on charges of public incitement and illegal possession of weapons.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"728\" data-end=\"1031\">Potra has established his headquarters in <strong data-start=\"770\" data-end=\"780\">Media\u0219<\/strong>, his hometown, where he organizes training camps and has purchased several properties. In the last local elections, he ran for mayor but lost by a narrow margin to the current mayor. However, his party has gained influence in the <strong data-start=\"1011\" data-end=\"1028\">Local Council<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1033\" data-end=\"1358\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">An open <strong data-start=\"1041\" data-end=\"1056\">pro-Russian<\/strong>, Potra frequently echoes <strong data-start=\"1082\" data-end=\"1093\">Kremlin<\/strong> propaganda in his public messages. Over the past five years, he has been active in two nationalist parties in Romania. He supports <strong data-start=\"1225\" data-end=\"1244\">C\u0103lin Georgescu<\/strong> and collaborates with former <strong data-start=\"1274\" data-end=\"1299\">French Foreign Legion<\/strong> soldiers who provide security for the far-right candidate.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-readmore-btn\">\r\n\t\t\t<button class=\"btn-readmore\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"show\">More <i class=\"icon-dropdown-xl\"><\/i><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hide\">Hide <i class=\"icon-dropdown-xl\"><\/i><\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<\/button>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<!-- END: Readmore -->\r\n\n\n\r\n<!-- Readmore -->\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-readmore\">\r\n\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"right\",\"id\":36742,\"width\":482,\"height\":577,\"sizeSlug\":\"medium\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} --><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>The founder of Ro\u0219ia Montan\u0103 Business<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"196\">The Romanian-Australian Vasile Frank Timi\u0219, 62 years old, fled the country before 1989 and later returned as a businessman to his homeland during the early years of the transition to capitalism.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"198\" data-end=\"492\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">He quickly struck gold by speculating on foreign stock exchanges with gold, silver, and copper resources from the Apuseni Mountains. The scheme from the mid-1990s reveals how the Romanian state practically helped Timi\u0219 take over the exploitation of resources worth billions of dollars for free.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_39194\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-39194\" style=\"width: 444px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39194\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Frank-Timis-BBC-1024x847.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"444\" height=\"367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Frank-Timis-BBC-1024x847.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Frank-Timis-BBC-300x248.png 300w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Frank-Timis-BBC-768x635.png 768w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Frank-Timis-BBC-1536x1270.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Frank-Timis-BBC.png 1908w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-39194\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Frank Timi\u0219. Source: Captur\u0103 video BBC<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"310\">In short, Timi\u0219 signed secret agreements, without public tender, with the state agency responsible for exploring the gold and copper deposits at Ro\u0219ia Montan\u0103 and Certej (near Deva). With these agreements in hand, he secured his first funds on the Canadian stock exchange to expand his businesses in Romania.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"312\" data-end=\"482\">Then, in the early 2000s, he split the two ventures\u2014Ro\u0219ia Montan\u0103 and Certej\u2014and sold them separately, including the licenses for gold, silver, and copper exploitation.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"484\" data-end=\"743\">This was essentially the scheme that, until last year, put Romania at risk of paying over $6 billion after the investors who took over the business from Timi\u0219 sued the Romanian state in Washington, claiming that their Ro\u0219ia Montan\u0103 project had been blocked.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"745\" data-end=\"963\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Timi\u0219\u2019s dealings were investigated for years by Romanian prosecutors, but without any consequences. As a result, the Romanian billionaire was able to quietly move his natural resource ventures to the African continent.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<!-- END: Readmore -->\r\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Authors: Mihai Munteanu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Contributors: Roxana Jipa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Fact-checking: RISE Project<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Article researched in collaboration with <a href=\"https:\/\/captura.ro\/\">Captura<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":39201,"template":"","tags":[],"investigationcat":[],"class_list":["post-39460","investigations","type-investigations","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Chinese companies worked with Hora\u021biu Potra, a former mercenary &#8226; Rise Project<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.riseproject.ro\/en\/investigations\/uncategorized\/how-chinese-companies-worked-with-horatiu-potra-a-former-mercenary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Chinese companies worked with Hora\u021biu Potra, a former mercenary &#8226; Rise Project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Where the money came from Between 2012 and 2018, Hora\u021biu Potra worked for three years for Frank Timi\u0219 and another three years for a major Chinese corporation. 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