Chapter 1. Corruption risks, mitigation measures and incentives of cross-cutting relevance across the extractive value chain
This chapter identifies risks of cross-cutting relevance commonly observed across the value chain of extractives and that contribute to increasing exposure and vulnerabilities to corruption. It also recommends mitigation measures for host government, companies’ home governments and extractive industries to address those risks and offers options to make corruption less attractive by putting a price on it.
Corruption risks of cross-cutting relevance across the extractive value chain
A number of corruption risks account for increased vulnerability to corruption across the extractive value chain. First, weaknesses in the anti-corruption legal and judicial system may undermine host governments’ capacity to effectively detect, prevent and sanction corruption. Regarding the extractive sector more specifically, high politicisation and discretionary power in decision-making processes, as well as inadequate governance arrangements leave room for favouritism, clientelism, political capture and interference, conflicts of interest, bribery and other corrupt practices. On the company’s side, gaps and discrepancies in internal corporate anti-corruption compliance and due diligence procedures contribute to weakening detection and prevention efforts. Finally, shortcomings in corporate integrity measures, both in host and home governments and in particular with regards to the disclosure of beneficial ownership arrangements, provide opportunities for corruption to thrive.

Gaps in the anti-corruption legal and judicial system
On the host government’s side, a weak anti-corruption legal and institutional framework may constitute a major risk factor increasing vulnerability to corruption and undermining the state capacity to effectively prevent and prosecute cases of corruption. In particular, a host governments’ anti-corruption legal, judicial and regulatory system may be inadequate due to lack of state institutional capacity, and lax, ambiguous, incomplete or outdated legislation, or lack of effective enforcement of existing laws and regulations, including prosecution and sanctioning.
More specifically, for host governments, legislative gaps may include failure to define corruption in all its forms as a criminal offence, including cross-border bribery, which is a major risk in the extractives sector, or lack of or insufficient coverage of specific anti-corruption measures such as guaranteeing the reporting by and protection of whistle-blowers or making a bribe payment expressly non-tax deductible.
Host governments are sometimes also home governments. They may host local companies with activities abroad. They may also host subsidiaries of multinational enterprises for the purpose of exporting the resources they have extracted. Where a host government is also a home government to companies with substantial activities abroad in the extractive sector, it is essential that it criminalise the bribery of foreign public officials in accordance with international standards, and ratify the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, which focuses on stemming the supply of bribes to foreign public officials in international business transactions.1
Although usually equipped with more robust legal and judicial frameworks, home governments may also suffer from similar shortcomings that undermine the state’s capacity to effectively prevent and sanction the bribery of foreign public officials by extractive companies. This may be the result of failure to include bribery of foreign public officials or facilitation payments in the legal definition of corruption or may be due to a weak enforcement record. Home governments with substantial extractive activities abroad should also ratify the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.
Discretionary power and high politicisation of decision-making processes in the extractive value chain
Empirical analysis reveals a high level of politicisation of decision-making processes and of discretionary power held by both high and lower-ranking public officials as major risk factors undermining the effective prevention of corruption in the extractives sector. This may be observed for example in the process of approval of environmental impact assessments, in the granting of authorisations or waivers, in bidding or negotiation procedures, revenue collection, customs clearance, immigration visa application or administrative authorisations, and procurement of goods and services.
Moreover, discretionary power and politicisation of decision-making processes may result from insufficient compliance with public integrity standards regarding the management of conflicts of interest, the regulation of lobbying and political campaign financing and the transparency of public financial management systems. In particular, the legislation may not provide for safeguards against risks of collusion and political interference associated with the “revolving door phenomenon”, whereby individuals frequently switch between high-level positions in both the public and private sectors.
Inadequate governance of the extractive sector
Risk factors related to the governance of the extractive sector include lack of or insufficient segregation of roles and responsibilities between administrative, regulatory and supervisory functions. In many instances, state-owned companies were found to be acting both as the administrator and regulator of the sector. More generally, the lack of transparency in the management and governance of state-owned companies may account for heightened risks of corruption in the extractive sector.
The lack of independence and accountability in monitoring and oversight activities as well as the lack of involvement and participation of local communities affected by extractive activities in decision-making processes may increase risks of corruption across the extractive value chain.
Gaps and discrepancies in corporate due diligence procedures
General risk factors on the company’s side include the lack of effective anti-corruption compliance and due diligence procedures applicable to employees, subsidiaries, business partners and intermediaries across the extractive value chain.
In particular, due diligence systems may not guarantee strict control over employees in compliance-sensitive positions, business partners, intermediaries and third parties, and they may fall short of providing adequate oversight of the parent company over the subsidiary’s operations and robust internal financial controls related to anti-corruption compliance and internal audit processes.
Opacity on beneficial ownership
Moreover, transparency measures both in host and home governments may fail to adequately reflect the increasing complexity of patterns of corruption, which often rely on multi-layered structures across various jurisdictions and involve shell companies and corporate vehicles to channel or disguise corrupt payments and distance the corrupt agent from the crime. The lack of access to adequate information on these corporate structures, including on beneficial ownership, ranks among the greatest corruption risks in the sector.
Effectively detecting risks of corruption and money laundering through corporate vehicles requires capacity from the state to trace and identify the beneficial owners exercising effective control over a legal entity or on whose behalf a transaction is being conducted.2 In this regard, national legislation on transparency may present important gaps with regard to the disclosure requirements of beneficial ownership. The nature of the information provided, the management of available data as well as harmonisation of national disclosure standards with international standards may be insufficient (OECD, 2014b; World Bank, 2011).3 The risks associated with these grey zones and discrepancies are not the exclusive purview of home and host governments but also of third countries with attractive tax systems and opaque beneficial ownership disclosure requirements. Indeed, third countries may offer a safe place for disguising, channelling and laundering corrupt funds and payments.
These risk factors may arise in any transactions or payments involving corporate vehicles, shell companies, offshore bank accounts, front companies or local entities owned by politically affiliated persons; and they may impact, in particular, the award of contracts, commodity trading, enforcement of local content requirements, formation of joint ventures, privatisation or acquisition of shares in a public company.
Risks and recommended mitigation measures of cross-cutting relevance across the extractive value chain
Risks and recommended incentives and disincentives across the extractive value chain
References
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EITI (2016), The EITI Standard, https://eiti.org/files/english-eiti-standard_0.pdf.
EITI (2015), EITI Progress Report 2015 – Making Transparency Matter, Section “Breaking ground on beneficial ownership transparency”, http://progrep.eiti.org/#!/2015/looking-ahead/beneficial-ownership.
FATF (2012), International Standards on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism & Proliferation, updated October 2015, FATF, Paris, France, www.fatf-gafi.org/recommendations.html.
G20 (2014), G20 High-Level Principles on Beneficial Ownership Transparency, www.g20australia.org/sites/default/files/g20_resources/library/g20_high-level_principles_beneficial_ownership_transparency.pdf.
Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance (2013), Motivating Business to Counter Corruption, A practitioner Handbook on Anti-Corruption Incentives and Sanctions, October.
IFC (2012), “International Finance Corporation Performance Standard 7 on Indigenous Peoples”, www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/1ee7038049a79139b845faa8c6a8312a/PS7_English_2012.pdf? MOD=AJPERES.
ILO (1989), “International Labour Organisation Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples”, www.ilo.org/indigenous/Conventions/no169/lang--en/index.htm.
OECD (2016), Financing Democracy: Funding of Political Parties and Election Campaigns and the Risk of Policy Capture, OECD Public Governance Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264249455-en.
OECD (2015a), “Draft report to the Council on Implementation of the 2012 Recommendation on Fighting Bid Rigging in Public Procurement”, Note by the Secretariat prepared for the Working Party No.2 on Co-operation and Enforcement, 15 June.
OECD (2015b), “Due Diligence Guidance on Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement in the Extractive Sector”, April, www.oecd.org/daf/inv/mne/OECD-Guidance-Extractives-Sector-Stakeholder-Engagement.pdf.
OECD (2015c), “Transparency and integrity in lobbying”, in Government at a Glance 2015, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/gov_glance-2015-35-en.
OECD (2014a), Guidance on Transfer Pricing Documentation and Country-by-Country Reporting, OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264219236-en.
OECD (2014b), Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: Measuring OECD Responses, OECD Publishing, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264203501-en.
OECD (2011), “Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions”, OECD Publishing, www.oecd.org/daf/anti-bribery/ConvCombatBribery_ENG.pdf.
OECD (2010a), “Good Practice Guidance on Internal Controls, Ethics and Compliance”, adopted by the OECD Council as an integral part of the Recommendation of the Council for Further Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions of 26 November 2009, 18 February, www.oecd.org/daf/anti-bribery/44884389.pdf.
OECD (2010b), Post-Public Employment: Good Practices for Preventing Conflicts of Interest, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264056701-en.
OECD (2009), “Recommendation of the Council for Further Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions”, C(2009)64, 25 May, www.oecd.org/tax/crime/2009-recommendation.pdf.
OECD (2005), “OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-owned Enterprises”, in OECD, Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises: A Survey of OECD Countries, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264009431-10-en.
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World Bank (2011), The Puppet Masters – How the Corrupt Use Legal Structures to Hide Stolen Assets and What to Do About It, Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative, The World Bank and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Washington, DC.
For further reading
FATF (2014), Guidance on Transparency and Beneficial Ownership, October 2015, FATF, Paris, www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf/documents/reports/Guidance-transparency-beneficial-ownership.pdf.
OECD (2015), Consequences of Corruption at the Sector Level and Implications for Economic Growth and Development, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264230781-en.
OECD (2014), OECD Foreign Bribery Report: An Analysis of the Crime of Bribery of Foreign Bribery Officials, OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264226616-en.
Notes
← 1. The full name of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention is the Convention on Combating the Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. It currently has 41 Parties, the 34 OECD countries plus seven non-members (Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Latvia, Russia and South Africa).
← 2. According to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the beneficial owner is defined as “the natural person(s) who ultimately owns or controls a customer and/or the person on whose behalf a transaction is being conducted. It also incorporates those persons who exercise ultimate effective control over a legal person or arrangement.” See FATF (2012), International Standards on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism & Proliferation – The FATF Recommendation, Financial Action Task Force FATF-OECD, Paris, February 2012. www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf/documents/recommendations/pdfs/FATF_Recommendations.pdf. Similarly, the OECD defines beneficial ownership as “the ultimate beneficial ownership or interest by a natural person. In some situations, uncovering the beneficial owner may involve piercing through various intermediary entities and/or individuals until the true owner who is a natural person is found. With respect to corporations, ownership is held by shareholders or members. In partnerships, interests are held by general and limited partners. In trusts and foundations, beneficial ownership refers to beneficiaries, which may also include the settlor or founder.” See OECD (2001), Behind the CorporateVeil: Using Corporate Entities for Illicit Purposes, OECD Publishing, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264195608-en.
← 3. Written comments received from participants in the Working Group on Corruption Risks during the consultations between January and November 2015.
← 4. Comments received from participants in the Working Group on Corruption Risks during the consultations between September and November 2015.
← 5. See note 4.
← 6. PEPs are considered to be persons who occupy important public positions: heads of state or government, high-level regional or national politicians, senior officials of the administration, judiciary, military and parties at national or regional level, the highest organs of state enterprises of national importance, companies and people who are close to the above-mentioned persons for family, personal or business reasons.
← 7. See note 4.
← 8. Comments received from participants in the Working Group on Corruption Risks during the consultations between January and May 2015.
← 9. Business partners include third parties such as agents and other intermediaries, consultants, representatives, distributors, contractors and suppliers, consortia, and joint venture partners. Factors to be taken into account in conducting due diligence on a business partner include whether it is a legitimate entity, is qualified and has the necessary resources to fulfil its part of the contract, whether it has an effective anti-bribery management system, whether it has been investigated, prosecuted or convictedof fraud or bribery, and whether it has direct or indirect links to an authority involved in the decision to award the contract. See OECD (2010), “Good Practice Guidance on Internal Controls, Ethics and Compliance”, adopted by the OECD Council as an integral part of the Recommendation of the Council for Further Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions of 26 November 2009, 18 February, www.oecd.org/daf/anti-bribery/44884389.pdf.
← 10. Global Economic Symposium, Selected Solutions 2014/2015.
← 11. See Requirement 2.5 of the EITI Standard (2016), https://eiti.org/files/english-eiti-standard_0.pdf.
← 12. See note 4. See also G20 (2014), G20 High-Level Principles on Beneficial Ownership Transparency, www.g20australia.org/sites/default/files/g20_resources/library/g20_high-level_principles_beneficial_ ownership_transparency.pdf.
← 13. EITI Beneficial Ownership Pilot, https://eiti.org/pilot-project-beneficial-ownership#Progress.
← 14. See note 4.
← 15. See the countryprofiles available on the Business Anti-Corruption Portal at: www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles.
← 16. See www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/the-americas/colombia/initiatives/public-anti-corruption- initiatives.aspx.
← 17. “Contractors” is an all-inclusive notion encompassing all entities with whom extractive companies enter into a contractual relationship.
← 18. Open Government Partnership, “Promoting Good Local Governance through Performance-Based Grants in Philippines”, www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/Inspiring%20Story%20-%20Philippines.pdf.
← 19. See note 15.
← 20. See note 15.