AFP
The Cambodian prime minister has denied that mining giant BHP Billiton paid a large bribe for an exploration contract in his country.
Australian media last week reported that authorities in the United States were probing BHP over a $US2.5 million ($A2.7 million) payment related to a project in Cambodia.
But Cambodian leader Hun Sen said the money was for a so-called "social fund" established in an agreement between Australia and Cambodia, and was used to build a hydroelectric dam, schools and hospitals.
"These days, they have been saying BHP paid illegal money to Cambodia. Let's see the contract - it was a social fund," Hun Sen said in a speech.
"This issue is written in the contract. It is not the under-the-table money," Hun Sen told a meeting between the government and private sector which Australia's ambassador to Cambodia also attended.
"It is written in the contract. It is not secret," he said.
The Anglo-Australian miner on Wednesday said it had evidence of possible corruption involving "interaction" with government officials, related to a minerals exploration project that was terminated about a year ago.
It declined to reveal the location of the project, but said it was not in China, where four staff of rival miner Rio Tinto were jailed for bribery and commercial espionage last month.
BHP has said it paid $US2.5 million to a community in Cambodia's east and $US1 million to the government for bauxite exploration rights, according to The Australian newspaper.
BHP declined to comment on the reports. On Wednesday, it said it had handed evidence to the US Securities and Exchange Commission and was also conducting an internal investigation.
Anti-corruption watchdog Global Witness said in a statement last week that Cambodian government accounts do not appear to reflect large amounts of money paid by BHP and other companies for mining concessions.
Australian media last week reported that authorities in the United States were probing BHP over a $US2.5 million ($A2.7 million) payment related to a project in Cambodia.
But Cambodian leader Hun Sen said the money was for a so-called "social fund" established in an agreement between Australia and Cambodia, and was used to build a hydroelectric dam, schools and hospitals.
"These days, they have been saying BHP paid illegal money to Cambodia. Let's see the contract - it was a social fund," Hun Sen said in a speech.
"This issue is written in the contract. It is not the under-the-table money," Hun Sen told a meeting between the government and private sector which Australia's ambassador to Cambodia also attended.
"It is written in the contract. It is not secret," he said.
The Anglo-Australian miner on Wednesday said it had evidence of possible corruption involving "interaction" with government officials, related to a minerals exploration project that was terminated about a year ago.
It declined to reveal the location of the project, but said it was not in China, where four staff of rival miner Rio Tinto were jailed for bribery and commercial espionage last month.
BHP has said it paid $US2.5 million to a community in Cambodia's east and $US1 million to the government for bauxite exploration rights, according to The Australian newspaper.
BHP declined to comment on the reports. On Wednesday, it said it had handed evidence to the US Securities and Exchange Commission and was also conducting an internal investigation.
Anti-corruption watchdog Global Witness said in a statement last week that Cambodian government accounts do not appear to reflect large amounts of money paid by BHP and other companies for mining concessions.
11 comments:
Yes, the social fund is indeed for making officials sociable.
Kuoy Pichet
what the different between bribe and tea money? isn't both connect to corruption? and if it for the so call social fun who's account is money in.the US goverment can check who's account is it transfer to. personal account or goverment account,then it would be easyly tell.
this is the kind of rhetoric you hear from lowlevel civil servants up to the top brass. Corruption? What CORRUPTION? the money is for the POOR!
That is a CORRUPTION to polute Cambodia, to destroy environment..
Vietnamese companies do the same thing, they build poluting factories in Cambodia, like FERTILIZER factory per example.
If the money is used for helping cambodians, that would be defined as royalties which is contribution
to social welfare of cambodians but not to those corrupts.
BHP Billiton and Cambodia can be paid for conflicts between employees of the SEC and U.S. politicians?
We know that very recently, the U.S. Republicans a lot of criticism against the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United State, the policeman of the American Stock Exchange, after reports revealed that employees of this honourable agency spent more hours on pornographic websites on the problems facing the U.S. financial system and the words of Republican Congressman Darrell Issa, a member of the Committee on Reform and Government Oversight, which said it was "disturbing that senior officials of SEC spend more time watching porn than done the job for which they are paid by American taxpayers do matters worse.
People has already said that politics, business, and sex are almost always an explosive cocktail.
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.
BHP Billiton finance the Republican Party?
How can we trust what tell the employees of SEC who pass more of their time to surf on the WEB to watch porn sites that to do the job for which they are paid?
It is scandalous.
Tea money, social fund, it's all bribery! Corruption.. corruption...
As long as Ah Kwak Kbot Cheat Hun Xen is alive Cambodia will never have the opportunity to improve. Corruption will kill people. Corruption will destroy nation.
I dare Hunsen to give proof about the money. Which bank, who's account, who withdraw, and who spend. U R an idiod. U.S. will find out if there was any transactions with this money in any bank account.
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