"Congo's victims of corruption", janvier 2020

On 16 September 2009, the Kingamyambo Musonoi Tailings (KMT) mine in Kolwezi in Democratic Republic of Congo suddenly closed, against the company’s will. A company official told the confused workers the Congolese government had unlawfully stripped First Quantum Minerals, a Canadian company which owned the copper and cobalt mine, of its mining licence. The 700 Congolese workers no longer had jobs...

Action against the corruption that led to the mining licence being stripped and the mine’s closure has been taken in the United States; however, to date, the detrimental impact on Congolese victims of the corruption...have not been considered in any investigation or legal action...

This report aims to demonstrate the reasons why...the affected communities, should be considered overseas victims of corruption. As a step towards this, the focus of this report is on the identification and recognition of such victims and the harm caused to them. Any legal proceedings against entities or persons involved in corruption should recognise victims...and include then in any compensation that might arise.

For victims of overseas corruption to be recognised and compensated, the view that “corruption is a victimless crime” needs to be set aside. This has begun to happen, not least in the UK which positioned itself at the...

The UK pledged not only to expose, pursue and punish those involved in corruption, but also to compensate the overseas victims of corruption and return stolen assets...