Congo's Victims of Corruption
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO CONGO’S VICTIMS OF CORRUPTION There is nothing here. There is only suffering. A victim of corruption in Congo ABOUT 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. African Resources Watch (AFREWATCH), is a Congolese non-go- vernmental organization based in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, advocating for fair and equitable exploitation of natural resources, holding States and companies responsible. CONTENTS Executive Summary .....................................................................................................I Recommendations .................................................................................................... XIV Methodology ............................................................................................................ XVIII Map ............................................................................................................................... XIX Introduction ..................................................................................................................1 Context: The “DRC Corruption Scheme” .................................................................2 A. The US Department of Justice Case .........................................................................................................................................2 B. Dan Gertler’s Acquisition of the KMT Mine and Onward Sale ..........................................................................................3 C. ENRC and the UK Serious Fraud Office ....................................................................................................................................4 The KMT Mine and its Promise for Development.................................................7 1. International Finance Corporation Investment ...................................................................................... 7 A. Environmental and Social Commitments ............................................................................................................................. 8 B. Oversight and Safeguards ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 The Congolese Victims of Corruption ....................................................................11 1. Direct Harm to Communities................................................................................................................................. 12 A. An Unhealthy and Polluted Environment ..............................................................................................................................16 B. Abrupt End of Community Development Projects .............................................................................................................21 C. Unfinished Resettlement ......................................................................................................................................................... 29 2. Direct Harm to Workers and Their Families ...............................................................................................30 A. Loss of Employment ................................................................................................................................................................... 32 B. Legal Efforts in DRC ....................................................................................................................................................................38 How Congolese Victims were identified ..............................................................39 A. The Document Trail .....................................................................................................................................................................39 B. Near completion of the KMT construction phase ............................................................................................................39 C. Causal links ...................................................................................................................................................................................40 Broadening the View of Victims of Corruption ...................................................43 A. Risk of Designating the State as the Victim .....................................................................................................................44 B. Existing Legal Tools Can Help .................................................................................................................................................. 45 C. Linking Corruption and Human Rights Violations ............................................................................................................46 ERG’s New Programmes at the KMT Mine (renamed Metalkol RTR) ............49 Conclusion.................................................................................................................... 52 Annex ............................................................................................................................. 53 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On 16 September 2009, the Kingam- Their voices, like so many other yambo Musonoi Tailings (KMT) mine victims of corruption, are largely in Kolwezi in Democratic Republic of ignored.1 Congo suddenly closed, against the company’s will. A company offi- This report aims to demonstrate the cial told the confused workers the reasons why Jean, and others in the Congolese government had unlawfully affected communities, should be stripped First Quantum Minerals, a considered overseas victims of corrup- Canadian company which owned the tion. As a step towards this, the focus copper and cobalt mine, of its mining of this report is on the identification licence. The 700 Congolese workers and recognition of such victims and « THE VOICES no longer had jobs. the harm caused to them. Any legal proceedings against entities OF CONGOLESE One of the workers, Jean returned or persons involved in corruption VICTIMS, LIKE home, uncertain about his future. A should recognise victims, like Jean, few days later, his 14-year-old son, and include then in any compensation SO MANY OTHER Benoit*, fell ill. Jean took his son to that might arise. the health clinic that treated KMT VICTIMS OF workers and their families, a benefit For victims of overseas corruption to CORRUPTION, ARE he received from his employment at be recognised and compensated, the the mine. But because the mine had view that “corruption is a victimless LARGELY IGNORED. » closed, the doctor refused to treat crime” needs to be set aside. This Benoit unless his father could pay the has begun to happen, not least in medical fees upfront. Not having re- the UK which positioned itself at the ceived his last paycheque, and with no vanguard of fighting corruption when severance pay, Jean lacked the funds. it hosted an international Anti-Cor- He had no option but to leave ruption Summit attended by world carrying his sick son. On their way leaders in May 2016. home, Benoit died. The UK pledged not only to expose, Action against the corruption that led pursue and punish those involved in to the mining licence being stripped corruption, but also to compensate and the mine’s closure has been taken the overseas victims of corruption and in the United States; however, to date, return stolen assets. the detrimental impact on Congolese- victims of the corruption, like Jean and his family, have not been considered in any investigation or legal action. * Pseudonyms are used throughout the report to maintain confidentiality and privacy. 1 RAID and AFREWATCH recognise that, if and when such legal proceedings arise, additional Congo’s Victims of Corruption i research may be required to further set out causality and to quantify the harm caused. Following the summit, the UK go- The Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the vernment adopted, in June 2018, the preeminent UK agency charged with General Principles to compensate tackling overseas corruption, should overseas victims (including affected actively work to implement the Com- States) in bribery, corruption and pensation Principles. Specifically, this economic crime cases (the «Com- report contends that one of the SFO’s pensation Principles»). The principles longest-running corruption investiga- were progressive in establishing that tions, that of the Kazakh multinational « PROSECUTING UK law enforcement agencies shall mining company, Eurasian Natural identify overseas victims in all relevant Resources Corporation (ENRC Ltd AUTHORITIES cases and consider compensating previously ENRC Plc), a UK-registered SHOULD ENSURE ALL them by using whatever legal mecha- company listed on the London Stock nisms available. At the time of this Exchange until 2013, provides an VOICES ARE HEARD report’s publication, the Compensa- important opportunity to apply the tion Principles had been in place for Compensation Principles and ensure WHEN IT COMES just over a year, although government that potential Congolese victims are TO PRESENTING officials involved in fighting corruption identified as part of the investigation. have said their agencies have been In the event any party is convicted at THE HARM CAUSED applying similar