Press Releases
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Illegal logs from Liberia found in French port as sweeping criminal sanctions kick in across EU Illegal Liberian timber worth thousands of Euros was sitting in a French port less than 3 weeks before a new EU law prohibiting the import of illegal timber came into force, Global Witness revealed today03 March 2013
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Shell and ENI's billion dollar payment for Nigerian oil project could fall foul of anti-corruption laws New information suggests that the US$1.1 billion paid by Shell and the Italian energy company ENI for a Nigerian oil block could fall foul of anti-corruption legislation and highlights the urgent need for strong disclosure laws across the EU12 November 2012
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Cambodian court denies justice to family of murdered activist Chut Wutty A Cambodian court announced today that the man charged with killing the alleged murderer of environmental activist Chut Wutty will be released from prison22 October 2012
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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission votes on landmark rules Global Witness welcomes the long-overdue vote on implementation rules for Sections 1502 and 1504 of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act29 August 2012
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Heritage Oil arbitration case in London deprives Ugandan citizens of right to information A closed-door London arbitration tribunal between Heritage Oil and the Government of Uganda denies Ugandans the right to information about the management of the country's critical oil wealth, claim campaign groups and civil society leaders.28 August 2012
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Survey finds sharp rise in killings over land and forests as Rio talks open New figures collected by Global Witness on the killings of activists, journalists and community members who were defending rights to land and forests show the true, shocking extent of competition for access to natural resources18 June 2012
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Shell and ENI must come clean over oil deals in Nigeria Explanations made by Shell and ENI about payments made for a controversial oil deal in Nigeria are no longer sufficient30 May 2012
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Justice for Sierra Leone as Charles Taylor found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity Read the Global Witness background briefing on the Charles Taylor Verdict26 April 2012
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Statement in response to killing of prominent Cambodian forest campaigner Chut Wutty Statement in response to killing of prominent Cambodian forest campaigner Chut Wutty We are shocked and devastated to learn of the killing of Chut Wutty, Director of environmental watchdog Natural Resource Protection Group (NPRG), in Cambodia today. Wutty was reportedly shot by members of the Military Police while engaged in field research into illegal logging and land seizures26 April 2012
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Sentencing of former Nigerian politician highlights role of British and US banks in money laundering Global Witness calls for a thorough investigation into HSBC, Barclays, Citibank and Abbey National (now owned by Santander) for their roles in the laundering of millions of pounds by James Ibori, former governor of Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta State16 April 2012
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Global Witness leaves Kimberley Process, calls for diamond trade to be held accountable Global Witness announces that it has left the Kimberley Process, the international certification scheme established to stop the trade in blood diamonds02 December 2011
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New leaked document reveals HSBC held $1.4bn of Libyan funds Between June and September 2010 the Libyan state oil fund deposited over $1bn with HSBC, according to a document leaked to Global Witness30 June 2011
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HSBC and Goldman Sachs held $335m of Libyan state oil money HSBC and Goldman Sachs are among the key western bankers for Colonel Gaddafi’s regime, a 2010 document leaked to Global Witness appears to show.26 May 2011
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Rush to log Liberia’s forests will jeopardise the reform process Under intense pressure from the timber industry – including many familiar faces from the past – the Forest Development Authority of Liberia has started to issue timber contracts. Yet key legislation on community rights is still in draft. International NGOs fear the rush to allow a timber trade with a poor track record of corruption and trampling on community rights raises the spectre of Liberia’s forests once again undermining stability in this fragile country22 May 2011
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Questions still remain over who controls Kazakhmys plc FTSE 100 mining firm Kazakhmys plc is still refusing to provide full information as to the identity of its beneficial owners19 May 2011