Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Cambodian Minister denies illegal payments from BHP

(Photo: Reuters)

April 29, 2010
AU.IBTimes.com
The term "tea money" is coined by government officials for unofficial payments.
The Prime Minister of Cambodia denied allegations that Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP) Billiton bribed the government with a huge amount of money for mining explorations in his country.

In a recent discovery by the US Securities and Exchange last week, BHP paid a hefty amount of $A2.7 million or $US2.5 million as payment related to a mining exploration in Cambodia.

However, Cambodian Minister Hun Sen refuted the accusations, stating that the money was used to build hydroelectric dam, schools, and hospitals. The money received was a "social fund," which was established in a contract between Australia and Cambodia.

''Let's see the contract - it was a social fund. It is written in the contract. It is not secret," Minister Hun Sen said.

Last week, BHP Billiton was probed by the US SEC concerning the "tea money" graft scandal in Cambodia.

The term "tea money" is coined by government officials for unofficial payments.

BHP denied these claims and insisted that the money was used as a development fund for local social welfare programs. It also paid $US1 million to the Cambodian government for bauxite exploration rights in September 2006.

The mining giant said it has discovered evidences of possible violations of anti-corruption laws linking local government officials in several of its abandoned projects. However, the firm did not specify a country.

A spokeswoman for BHP dismissed other claims and said that the US SEC's investigation does not relate to any activity in China nor its marketing activities or sales relating to the company's products. She said that the inquiry is related to past exploration projects some as recent as a year ago.

BHP said it paid $US2.5 million to a community in Cambodia while another $US1 million was disbursed to the government as payment for bauxite explorations rights.

According to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, BHP may be facing a $US2 million penalty while individual employees may be fined up to $US100, 000 and jail sentence up to five years.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

បក្ខពួក អា ហ៊ុន សែន សុទ្ធតែពួកអាក្បត់ជាតិពិតៗ វាគិតតែពីរឿងដុល្លារចូលហោប៉ៅ វាមុននឹងវាគិតអ្វីៗទាំងអស់ វាថាថ្លៃ “ទឹកតែ” ;=)

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen le nouvel homme fort du Cambodge,un encien khmer rouge qui a fui le régime meutrier en 1977 que les vietnamiens qui ont rammené dans leurs bagages pour installer à la tête du Cambodge

Anonymous said...

ថ្លៃ “ទឹកតែ” ចុយយោនីម៉ែវា, ពួកអាក្បត់ជាតិ!

Anonymous said...

Như vấn đề của thực tế, Hun Sen, Chea Sim, Heng Samrin, người Việt có thể giết chết bất cứ lúc nào.

Anonymous said...

We all ក្បត់ជាតិ​​ and stop to blame other

Anonymous said...

did BHBP's money find its way into the social fund? haha - Lauk Hun Sen, do you think the world is peopled by morons like you?

Anonymous said...

Tous les Khmers,

Vous n'avez pas d'autre choix, mais d'organiser un soulèvement armé contre ces marionnettes de Hanoi familles de Hun Sen et ses affidés.

Vous êtes tous dans une situation vrac vrac par des moyens légaux.

La liberté ne viendra jamais à partir de là ciel. Vous avez à lutter pour obtenir cela.

Hun Sen et Hanoi continuera à vous oppriment et confisquer vos terres pour leurs propres interessts.

Et combien d'immigrants illégaux vietnamiens au Cambodge ce moment précis?

La vietnamisation de Hanoi est la première étape par étape, et presque fini de leur objectif.

Chacun d'entre vous seront esclaves Hanoi sur vos ancêtres des terres très bientôt.

Ils ne peuvent pas tous vous tuer dans toutes les provinces et tous les Sroks, sinon le monde entier sera pas po.

Si vous n'osez pas mourir vous ne survivrez pas.

Anonymous said...

And the corruption, the breach of trust, the swindle, fraud….. are common within the American economic and political system. and all the big American companies finance the political parties in the USA.

The current audition by the American senate of the main traders of the bank affair GolmanSaCh to have sold the financial products of shit to the Wall Street stock exchange is the last example of the financial swindle that the Americans are capable after the swindle of subprime two years ago and which the world financial system in crisis.


In a state of law of a country, there is violation of law and bribery that if there are criminal laws of this country which plans it and punishes it.
Grants ,Subsidies or donations to political parties or political patronage that are not prohibited and sanctioned by the criminal laws of this country are perfectly legal.
When there is a legal vacuum, then there is no violation of law , corruption or bribery..


As in USA the two American political parties regularly receive each year from major private companies in America hundreds of millions of dollars annually in the form of grants, donations, political patronage.. .
For the good of democracy.
Because democracy has a cost, a price.
Let us be serious, nothing can work without money...…

Anonymous said...

It is wrong what Mr. Hun Sen and the Cambodian government have done until now. But they did by their own view, how to help our Khmer people, because we all love our country.
This is only the way, we can rebuild our country.

Anonymous said...

If accusations of corruption are not lawful and based in Cambodian penal law, those who talk about corruption in this case can see their criminally responsibility and criminally prosecuted for defamation by the authorities.

Anonymous said...

ទឹកតែ (Tea money) is defined as corruption in the glossary compiled by Center for Social Development (CSD) in Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

I we want to be sure " the Tea money" is a bribe or not, check the receipt of the money given to the government.

The government must be courageous to show the transparency in this matter.

If the "Tea money" was really a Bribe, BHP will face Jústice of their own Country. While the government will be humiliated and scorned. The so-called Social Fund could not cover the bribery and corruption, which is wide spread in Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

2:13PM of course i don't presume you are saying the US of A is bird of a feather to Cambodia in terms of corruption. i'm just profoundly entertained by the comparison.

Anonymous said...

Is there any protocol or article related to TEA MONEY anywhere in commercial laws?.The purpose has to be defined and transaction is to be transparent for the said welfare purposes.

In general,this is a bribe that is supposed to be royalty's payment where the powerful collects. this also can be transtated to power's ransom. After all regardless what it is refered to, it is still an act of corruption.

I wonder if CDC awares of this, unless it gets used to corruption as well.

Kaun Khmer

Anonymous said...

When investors need to pay money to the ministers of a country to make businesses, that country is
a REPUBLIC OF BANANA because any other country in the world would help those investors instead.

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen u idiot. ask any cambodians in the country what tea money is, and they all will say corruption money.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all our Khmer Krom to help Dejkun Tim Sakhorn from danger. Cambodian government do nothing but get along with vietnamese government to oppress Khmer Krom and the Cambodian people inside Cambodia. SHAME ! on Hun Sen's regime. If I am running the government I'll cleaning up the illegal alien from Vietnam or do something for the benefits of Cambodia. Hun Sen is a puppet of Hanoi and never change mentality from the Communist regime. That's why I call it Communist People Party ( CPP ) NOT Cambodian People Party.

Anonymous said...

Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime

Members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Kek Iev
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...

Committed:
Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention


Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime

Members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...

Committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.

"But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
  
Executions
Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union 
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Journalists
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son 
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Embezzlement
Treason
Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.  
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation

Illegally use of remote detonation bomb on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.

Lightning strike many airplanes, but did not fall from the sky.  Lightning strike out side of airplane and discharge electricity to ground. 
Source:  Lightning, Discovery Channel

Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters. 
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.

Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.