The “Congo is Not for Sale” campaign calls on the justice system of the Democratic Republic of Congo to disclose the results of an investigation opened at the end of 2019 into state copper company, Gécamines, and to announce the legal measures it intends to take to prevent a payment from Glencore to Gécamines entering into the pockets of billionaire Dan Gertler, who is subject to sanctions imposed by the United States.
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Last week, RAID Director Anneke VanWoudenberg spoke to BBC World Service about working conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic at copper & cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (audio excerpt below). This follows letter of concern to mining companies from rights groups, which you can read in full here and in French here.
(Lubumbashi, June 11, 2020) – Multinational copper and cobalt mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo should take immediate steps to protect the rights of thousands of Congolese workers’ during the Covid-19 pandemic, a group of 11 international and Congolese human rights groups said today in a letter to 13 mining companies.
Twelve human rights and environmental groups today raised serious concerns about Glencore’s newly published Sustainability Report, saying it lacks credibility, ahead of the company’s Annual General Meeting on 2 June.
Identifying and compensating overseas victims of corruption is a major challenge that prosecutors have yet to adequately address. As Jeffrey Kaplan recently discussed in a post for the FCPA Blog, when corruption is treated as victimless, it may allow those involved in the crime to “feel comfortable with their participation.”
Top accounting firms are increasingly under scrutiny for being too cosy with their clients and acting as “enablers” of financial misconduct. A recent ground-breaking judgment issued on April 17th by the British High Court against “Big Four” accounting firm EY (formerly Ernst & Young) bolsters such criticism. EY was found liable for covering up evidence of money laundering and forcing out a whistleblower. It was ordered to pay approximately US$11 million in damages.
RAID and the UK Corporate Responsibility Coalition (CORE) have officially lodged a letter with the UK Supreme Court requesting it to hear a case involving corporate human rights abuses by a British-based company, African Minerals Ltd, at its iron-ore mine in Sierra Leone. The letter was filed under Rule 15 of the Supreme Court Rules, which permits civil society groups to make submissions in the public interest to the Court.
Glencore ignored reports of serious injuries to local residents in Chad living near its Badila oilfield following a September 2018 wastewater spill and oil pipe leak, a new report published today reveals. The Badila oilfield is operated by PetroChad Mangara Ltd, a 100%-owned subsidiary of Glencore Plc, one of the largest natural resource companies in the world.
RAID is a UK based non-governmental organization which exposes corporate wrongdoing, environmental damage and human rights abuses, partnering with those harmed to hold companies to account. Through rigorous investigation, advocacy and the law, RAID seeks to strengthen regulation of business and achieve justice.
Dear Mr. President,
We are a group of civil society organizations associated with the campaign “Congo is not for sale”. We are writing to congratulate you on the special attention you recently gave to US sanctioned entities accused of questionable financial transactions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We write to request precautionary measures against other entities also under US sanctions, in order to limit the risk of unlawful practices that could harm the country’s public finances.