The conviction for embezzlement of three senior executives of the former French state oil company, Elf, is a blow against corruption in the global oil industry..."If oil companies were required to publish all their payments to governments, and governments to disclose their payments from companies, then the Elf system could never have come into being," Hayman [Gavin Hayman of Global Witness] added. [Also refers to Total, formerly TotalFinaElf, which is trying to differentiate itself from the behaviour of the convicted executives]