Civil society demands accountability for Nigeria’s $50m Glencore settlement

Mkpoikana Udoma

Port Harcourt — A coalition of civil society organizations have urged the Federal Government to disclose details of its $50 million settlement with Glencore International A.G., citing the need for transparency and accountability.

Recall that the settlement, announced recently by Nigeria’s Attorney General, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, aims to compensate for Glencore’s corruption of public officials in Nigeria.

Glencore’s global bribery scheme, which spanned over a decade and affected seven countries, led to a $1.1 billion financial penalty; with Nigeria’s settlement being a significant step, however, civil society groups are demanding that the government publish the agreement’s terms and ensure that the funds’ benefit communities harmed by corruption.

The groups, including ANEEJ, Green code, Centre LSD, Basic Rights Watch, Kebetkache Women, and Policy Alert, in a joint press statement have called for stakeholder engagement to develop transparent disbursement mechanisms.

The statement signed by the Executive Director of the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, Rev David Ugolor, and 14 others, emphasized that justice requires reparations for corruption’s harms and urged compensation for those affected by Glencore’s corruption.

“As a broad coalition of civil society organizations, we call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to publish its $50 million settlement with Glencore International A.G. and ensure these funds are used transparently to benefit communities harmed by corruption.

“Glencore’s agreement to pay $50 million as ‘penalty and compensation’ is a welcome recognition of the company’s obligation to repair the harms caused by its corruption of public officials in Nigeria.

“This settlement comes two years after Glencore’s global coordinated resolution with US, UK, and Brazilian authorities for its vast bribery scheme which spanned more than a decade and affected more than seven countries on two continents. In Nigeria alone, Glencore and its subsidiaries paid more than $52 million to intermediaries to bribe officials to secure special oil deals.

“While Glencore has paid over $1.1 billion in financial penalties globally, justice is not complete without reparations for the corrosive harms of corruption. To date, none of the authorities in the UK, US, or Brazil who have issued major fines against Glencore have offered compensation to affected countries like Nigeria, and should urgently take steps to do so.

“Meanwhile, to ensure the credibility of Nigeria’s $50 million compensation deal with Glencore, there must be full transparency about the terms of the agreement announced by the Attorney General, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN. It is also essential that robust safeguards are put in place to ensure these funds are used to benefit communities affected by corruption.

“We therefore urge the Federal Government to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society and affected communities, to develop mechanisms for the transparent and accountable disbursement of funds to redress the harms of Glencore’s corruption.

“We have consistently insisted that Glencore and other corrupt foreign companies using bribery and corruption to undermine our Country’s development take responsibility and the Nigerian Government should in line with the Global Forum on Asset Recovery Principles disclose any settlement with Glencore.”