Season 7: World of Secrets presents: The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. Also: Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. Women accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of rape. And: The Abercrombie Guys. Investigating sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. Delve into a World of Secrets: the global investigations podcast from the BBC. Uncovering stories around the world and telling them, episode by episode, with gripping storytelling. Latest season: World of Secrets presents, The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. It was the biggest gold discovery in history…until it wasn’t. In 1995, Canadian mining company Bre-X announced to the world it had found a significant amount of gold deep in the jungles of Indonesia. Stock prices soared as investors worldwide fought to stake their claim. But when Bre-X’s chief geologist mysteriously fell from a helicopter over the jungle, the story of the billion dollar discovery began to unravel. Nearly three decades later, no one has ever been held accountable. Now, host Suzanne Wilton takes listeners from the jungles of Indonesia to small town Alberta, Canada, to investigate what really happened and find out more about the man behind the biggest goldmine fraud of all time. Produced for the BBC World Service and CBC by BBC Scotland Productions. The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024. Previous seasons of World of Secrets: Season 6: The Bad Guru. A yoga school in London. A guru running from the police. How did Miranda get sucked in? Journalist Cat McShane investigates the international yoga movement headed by Gregorian Bivolaru, the spiritual guide arrested by French police in November 2023 and charged with human trafficking, organised kidnapping, rape and organised abuse of weakness by members of a sect. Season 5: Finding Mr Fox. Investigating a plot to smuggle around a hundred millions of dollars’ worth of drugs from Brazil to Europe and the miscarriage of justice that followed. But where is the man Brazilian police believe to be at the centre of it all? Season 4: Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods. Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed – then owner of Harrods, one of the most famous shops in the world – is accused of rape and attempted rape by women who worked for him. Now they refuse to be silenced any longer. Season 3: The Apartheid Killer. All the victims were black and the youngest was just 12 years old. Some relatives are still searching for the graves. They were killed during a three-year bloodbath in the 1980s, in the South African city of East London – by one person. He killed so many, he lost count. In piecing together this story, we expose the disturbed past and racial injustices of South Africa itself. Season 2: The Disciples. The cult of Nigerian prophet TB Joshua. A story of miracles, faith and manipulation, told by people from around the world, who gave up everything for one of the most powerful religious figures of the century. Lured by TB Joshua’s claimed healing powers, they live as disciples in a guarded Lagos compound, cut off from family and friends. Season 1: The Abercrombie Guys. An investigation into claims of sexual exploitation made against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. He and his British partner were accused by several men, recruited for sex events they hosted around the world.
Season 7: World of Secrets presents: The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. Also: Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. Women accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of rape. And: The Abercrombie Guys. Investigating sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. Delve into a World of Secrets: the global investigations podcast from the BBC. Uncovering stories around the world and telling them, episode by episode, with gripping storytelling. Latest season: World of Secrets presents, The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. It was the biggest gold discovery in history…until it wasn’t. In 1995, Canadian mining company Bre-X announced to the world it had found a significant amount of gold deep in the jungles of Indonesia. Stock prices soared as investors worldwide fought to stake their claim. But when Bre-X’s chief geologist mysteriously fell from a helicopter over the jungle, the story of the billion dollar discovery began to unravel. Nearly three decades later, no one has ever been held accountable. Now, host Suzanne Wilton takes listeners from the jungles of Indonesia to small town Alberta, Canada, to investigate what really happened and find out more about the man behind the biggest goldmine fraud of all time. Produced for the BBC World Service and CBC by BBC Scotland Productions. The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024. Previous seasons of World of Secrets: Season 6: The Bad Guru. A yoga school in London. A guru running from the police. How did Miranda get sucked in? Journalist Cat McShane investigates the international yoga movement headed by Gregorian Bivolaru, the spiritual guide arrested by French police in November 2023 and charged with human trafficking, organised kidnapping, rape and organised abuse of weakness by members of a sect. Season 5: Finding Mr Fox. Investigating a plot to smuggle around a hundred millions of dollars’ worth of drugs from Brazil to Europe and the miscarriage of justice that followed. But where is the man Brazilian police believe to be at the centre of it all? Season 4: Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods. Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed – then owner of Harrods, one of the most famous shops in the world – is accused of rape and attempted rape by women who worked for him. Now they refuse to be silenced any longer. Season 3: The Apartheid Killer. All the victims were black and the youngest was just 12 years old. Some relatives are still searching for the graves. They were killed during a three-year bloodbath in the 1980s, in the South African city of East London – by one person. He killed so many, he lost count. In piecing together this story, we expose the disturbed past and racial injustices of South Africa itself. Season 2: The Disciples. The cult of Nigerian prophet TB Joshua. A story of miracles, faith and manipulation, told by people from around the world, who gave up everything for one of the most powerful religious figures of the century. Lured by TB Joshua’s claimed healing powers, they live as disciples in a guarded Lagos compound, cut off from family and friends. Season 1: The Abercrombie Guys. An investigation into claims of sexual exploitation made against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. He and his British partner were accused by several men, recruited for sex events they hosted around the world.
The hunt to discover who was behind the six billion dollar gold scam begins, and Suzanne brings new information to light on how it was perpetrated. But who was to blame and will anyone be held to account?
Please note, this episode contains difficult subject matter, including references to suicide and death.
The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024.
With Bre-X stock halted on the financial markets, the company goes into meltdown. A terrible truth emerges and a scam on an epic scale is revealed. Investors are set to lose millions and entire pension funds will be wiped out. A golden dream turns into a waking nightmare.
Please note, this episode contains difficult subject matter, including references to suicide, and contains some graphic content.
The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024.
On the ground at the Busang exploration site, the dream is collapsing and Bre-X geologist Michael de Guzman is needed for some major questioning. But where is he? As the hours tick by and he fails to arrive at Bre-X's site, news of a tragedy spreads. Those involved in the gold discovery need to get out of Indonesia and fast.
Since this episode was recorded, John McBeth has sadly passed away. We are very grateful for his contribution to this story.
Please note, this episode deals with upsetting scenes including suicide and contains some graphic details.
The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024.
World of Secrets presents, The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. Bre-X’s new partners visit the Indonesian gold exploration site and make a shocking discovery. It will result in a reckoning half a world away at the mining industry’s party of the year — the Prospector and Developers Association Convention. Is the dream of a billion-dollar gold mine about to shatter?
The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024.
As the value of the Indonesian gold discovery skyrockets, it’s not just everyday investors who want in. Powerful players are drawn into the fight for the gold in Busang. But Bre-X, a small company, has only ever traded as a penny stock. Can it stand up to powerful rivals and play in the big leagues?
The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024.
It’s gold fever. Estimates put the Bre-X discovery at four times the size of the biggest known gold deposit — and investors are trying to cash in. A small Canadian town is swept up in the gold rush. But others are asking questions, including a hedge fund manager who goes to extraordinary lengths to get inside the Indonesia gold site.
Since this episode was recorded, John McBeth has sadly passed away. We are very grateful for his contribution to this story.
The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024.
World of Secrets presents The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. Bre-X geologist Michael de Guzman is the man of the hour. He’s responsible for one of the biggest gold discoveries in the world, deep in the Indonesian jungle. It’s a find that sends Bre-X stock prices soaring to stratospheric heights. So his apparent death — a dramatic fall from a helicopter flying to the gold site — sends shockwaves around the world. Did he jump? Was he pushed? But the days following his death will prove even more shocking.
Please note, this episode contains difficult subject matter, including references to suicide and death. The series has references to suicide and some graphic content.
This podcast was first published in May 2024.
It was the biggest gold mine fraud of all time – a scam that devastated countless lives. But what really happened? Suzanne Wilton revisits the story that she just couldn’t let go of, to find answers about how the scam was perpetrated…and about the mysterious death of a geologist in the jungle. From the BBC World Service and CBC.
The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024.
World of Secrets teams are working on new investigations. Now you’ve finished listening to The Bad Guru, we are preparing six more seasons. Also, we have updates on previous investigations, including The Abercrombie Guys and Al Fayed, Predator at Harrods.
Follow or subscribe now, so you get all future seasons and episodes.
World of Secrets is the global investigations podcast from the BBC: Uncovering stories around the world and telling them, episode by episode, with gripping storytelling.
Miranda returns to Paris after some surprising news about the guru Gregorian Bivolaru.
This episode contains sexual content, allegations of sexual exploitation and some strong language.
Host: Cat McShane Producers: Emma Weatherill and Cat McShane Sound design: Melvin Rickarby Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
“I was admitting it was a sex cult,” says Miranda. She meets up with her mother Penny to tell her what she's really been up to. When she tells her story to students from the yoga school where her journey started, the guru Gregorian denounces her as a liar.
This episode contains sexual content.
Host: Cat McShane Producers: Emma Weatherill and Cat McShane Sound design: Melvin Rickarby Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
The guru Gregorian Bivolaru comes to the door in a dressing gown and welcomes Miranda in. He is her spiritual master, but she feels physically repulsed by him. “Don’t be superficial,” she tells herself as she steps into his Paris apartment.
This episode contains explicit sexual content and some strong language.
Host: Cat McShane Producers: Emma Weatherill and Cat McShane Sound design: Melvin Rickarby Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
“I don't have my passport. I don't have my phone. I don't have my bank card… I have nothing.” Miranda is driven through Paris with her eyes covered to meet the guru Gregorian Bivolaru at a secret location. Why is her spiritual guide in hiding?
This episode contains sexual content.
Host: Cat McShane Producers: Emma Weatherill and Cat McShane Sound design: Melvin Rickarby Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Miranda joins thousands of the guru Gregorian Bivolaru’s followers from around the world at a yoga festival in a Romanian seaside resort. It’s a two-week-long holiday and her food and accommodation is free. But is she being drawn into something darker?
This episode contains explicit sexual content.
Host: Cat McShane Producers: Emma Weatherill and Cat McShane Sound design: Melvin Rickarby Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Miranda joins a yoga school in London. The classes make her feel amazing and the people make her feel loved. But at a weekend retreat in a country house, she gets a shock.
This series contains explicit sexual content, some strong language and allegations of sexual exploitation. This episode contains explicit sexual content. Host: Cat McShane Producers: Emma Weatherill and Cat McShane Sound design: Melvin Rickarby Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Miranda’s search for inner peace through yoga leads to allegations of grooming, trafficking and exploitation.
“You just get sucked in so gradually... that you don't realize,” says her mother Penny.
This series contains explicit sexual content, some strong language and allegations of sexual exploitation.
Host: Cat McShane Producers: Emma Weatherill and Cat McShane Sound design: Melvin Rickarby Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Executive Producer: Innes Bowen Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams
Our investigation moves to a hotel car park in Norwich, England. What more new leads will this bring? We find the man himself, but what does Fox have to say about the tonne of cocaine found on his yacht? How does he respond to the claims from Brazilian police?
Colin and Yemesi track down Fox's former crewmate, fresh out of a Brazilian jail and seemingly ready to talk. He travelled with Fox to Brazil on the Rich Harvest yacht and spent months there overseeing the first stage of its renovation, before the police raid and the arrests. So what can he tell us about his former employer? And what does he say about the drug smuggling and the sailors?
A police chief in Brazil investigates Fox. He spends months overseeing surveillance of Fox’s yacht, then months more investigating how more than a tonne of cocaine ended up on board.
For Andre Gonçalves, it begins with a tipoff from Britain’s National Crime Agency. He’s determined to fix what he sees as a grave injustice for the sailors after their arrest and harsh sentencing.
The sailors are imprisoned in a country known as a “motorway service station” for cocaine cartels. Among certain police forces and crime agencies, the shortest sailing route from Latin America to Africa is known as drug traffickers’ Highway 10. Cape Verde lies at one end of it.
The West African nation is used as a handy stop off point for smugglers to refuel or swap boats ahead of their journey on to Europe. For Daniel and Rodrigo though, it was somewhere to enjoy the beaches and the surf. But they can’t do that now they’re locked up in jail.
Colin and Yemesi learn more about the wider destructive impact of drug dealing and the international narcotics market, boarding a police boat as local cops patrol the ocean.
