CONGO could lose out on $1.76 billion in potential royalty payments from its copper and cobalt mining deals with Israeli mining magnate Dan Gertler, an anti-corruption group said yesterday, calling on the government to open an investigation. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Gertler and more than 30 of his businesses in December 2017 and June 2018, accusing him of leveraging his friendship with former Congo President Joseph Kabila to secure lucrative mining deals. Gertler has denied any wrongdoing. Using data including recently published contracts on the mining ministry website, the campaign group Congo is Not for Sale (CNPAV) estimated that deals…