Natural Resource Exploitation and Corruption
When parties signed the accord establishing the transitional government, they also agreed to create a parliamentary committee to examine the contracts granted during the war years to exploit the natural resources of the Congo. According to Christophe Lutundula, chairman of the committee, many were ‘sweetheart’ contracts that benefited senior officials, their family members and foreign associates.44 The report identifies companies involved in fraudulent deals, recommends the ending or renegotiation of numerous contracts, and demands judicial proceedings against key individuals, including some close to President Kabila.45 The report, detailing contracts signed between 1996 and 2003, is completed, but has not yet been published, probably because of opposition from some of those named in it.
According to a World Bank official, the number of grants for exploration rights to important mineral-rich areas has increased four-fold in the last six months. He and other international observers fear that some of these arrangements may also involve corruption.46 Government officials can profit doubly from corruption at this point; they can line their pockets and they can also spend more to influence the outcome of the elections, whether by increased advertising, by buying votes outright or by bribing electoral officials to favor their party. This corruption is so extensive that it contributes to instability, threatens the transition, and could skew the elections.
[44] “Politicians on notice”, Africa Confidential, Vol. 46, No. 22, November 4, 2005. Also, Human Rights Watch interview, Christophe Lutundula, Brussels, November 25, 2005. [45] Ibid. [46] Human Rights Watch interview, World Bank official, October 1, 2005.
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