Financial Transparency Coalition

WASHINGTON, DC – Global Witness is calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) not to cave in to industry pressure and to issue effective regulations to combat the trade in conflict minerals. The call comes on the day of a crucial SEC roundtable and in the face of aggressive industry lobbying aimed at making the new rules weak and ineffective.

Last week, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart lampooned the failure to implement many elements of the Dodd-Frank Consumer Protection Act, even one year after the law's passage.  One of the most important elements awaiting approval is Section 1504 (also known as the Cardin-Lugar provision), which would require extractive industries to "Publish What they Pay" to governments in gaining access to the natural resources of a country, in order to prevent illegal activities and exploitation.  However, delays from the SEC prevent the regulations from actually being implemented.  Beyond the obvious humanitarian benefits, and improved economic competition that come with transparent...

On Wednesday, the SEC announced a $16 million settlement in an FCPA case filed against Diageo, Inc. The company, which dominates the global liquor market, was accused of spending at least $2.7 million on bribes through its Asian subsidiaries, and omitting or mislabeling those funds in SEC filings. These bribes were given to government and military officials in South Korea, India, and Thailand in order to gain a variety of advantages, from tax breaks to more beneficial policies in transfer pricing negotiations. Bribes included trips to Europe, while one Thai bureaucrat received $12,000 a month for helping...

Assistant Administrator Eric Postel of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has sent a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) supporting Section 1504, or the Cardin-Lugar provision, of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. The "Publish What You Pay" provision, which has been significantly delayed, requires energy and mining companies registered with the SEC to report payments to foreign governments for the extraction of oil, gas, and minerals on a country-by-country basis.  Commenting on the positive effects of country-by-country reporting, Postel writes:

“Our overarching belief is that the enforcement of the proposed rules contributes towards U.S. Government...