Washington — Oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron should be kicked off the board of a global anti-corruption effort because they have actively sought to undermine it, a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) said on Wednesday. The unusual call, from organisations including Oxfam and Global Witness, comes the week before the board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is due to hold a periodic meeting in Oslo. Launched in 2002 by then British prime minister Tony Blair, the initiative compels oil and gas companies to disclose the payments they make to governments around the world in leases, taxes and royalty payments — with the aim of deterring theft, embezzlement, bribery and other malfeasance. Corruption in oil, gas and mineral-rich nations frequently starves public education, healthcare and infrastructure of the wealth produced by extractive industries. But as part of its regulatory rollback, US President Donald Trump’s administration announced in Novembe...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.