Charmian Gooch: Meet global corruption's hidden players

譯者: Charlene Tsai 審譯者: NAN-KUN WU

When we talk about corruption,

當我們談到貪腐

there are typical types of individuals that spring to mind.

有幾種典型的人物會出現在我們腦海

There's the former Soviet megalomaniacs.

例如前蘇聯狂人

Saparmurat Niyazov, he was one of them.

薩帕爾穆拉特•尼亞佐夫(Saparmurat Niyazov) 就是其中之一

Until his death in 2006,

直到 2006 年過世前

he was the all-powerful leader of Turkmenistan,

他是土庫曼最有權力的領導人

a Central Asian country rich in natural gas.

土庫曼位於中亞，這個國家富含天然氣

Now, he really loved to issue presidential decrees.

他很愛發佈總統詔令

And one renamed the months of the year

其中之一是把月份名稱改掉

including after himself and his mother.

甚至以他自己和他母親的名字取代

He spent millions of dollars

他花了數百萬元

creating a bizarre personality cult,

建立了奇異的個人崇拜

and his crowning glory was the building

而他引以為豪的是給自己塑了

of a 40-foot-high gold-plated statue of himself

一座四十呎高的鍍金雕像

which stood proudly in the capital's central square

這雕像傲氣地聳立在首都的中央廣場上

and rotated to follow the sun.

並隨著太陽而轉動

He was a slightly unusual guy.

這傢伙有點異常

And then there's that cliché,

而現在要提到的算是老生常談

the African dictator or minister or official.

可以稱他為非洲的獨裁者、部長或是官員

There's Teodorín Obiang.

特奧多羅•奧比昂 (Teodorín Obiang)

So his daddy is president for life of Equatorial Guinea,

他的父親當了一輩子的赤道幾內亞總統

a West African nation that has exported

這個西非國家從 1990 年代起

billions of dollars of oil since the 1990s

出口了價值數十億元的原油

and yet has a truly appalling human rights record.

但卻存在著驚世駭俗的迫害人權的記錄

The vast majority of its people

這國家裡絕大多數的人民

are living in really miserable poverty

都活在極度悲慘的貧困之中

despite an income per capita that's on a par

但國家的人均收入

with that of Portugal.

卻和葡萄牙差不多

So Obiang junior, well, he buys himself

這位奧比昂二世

a $30 million mansion in Malibu, California.

在加州馬利布給自己 買了棟三千萬美金的豪宅

I've been up to its front gates.

我曾經站在那豪宅前門

I can tell you it's a magnificent spread.

可說觸目所及極盡豪奢

He bought an €18 million art collection

他買了價值一千八百萬歐元的藝術收藏

that used to belong to fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent,

這些收藏以前是屬於 時尚設計師伊夫•聖羅蘭 (YSL)

a stack of fabulous sports cars,

還有各式各樣的高級跑車

some costing a million dollars apiece --

有些要價一百萬美金一台

oh, and a Gulfstream jet, too.

喔，當然他也有一架灣流噴射機

Now get this:

但你要知道

Until recently, he was earning an official monthly salary

直到現在，他的官方月薪

of less than 7,000 dollars.

還不到 7,000 美金

And there's Dan Etete.

再來我們談到丹•埃泰特(Dan Etete)

Well, he was the former oil minister of Nigeria

他是奈及利亞前石油部長

under President Abacha,

隸屬於總統阿巴察 (Abacha)

and it just so happens he's a convicted money launderer too.

他同樣被認定是洗黑錢的人物

We've spent a great deal of time

我們已經花了很多的時間

investigating a $1 billion --

針對十億美元進行追查

that's right, a $1 billion —

沒錯，是十億美元

oil deal that he was involved with,

這是在石油交易中他所牽涉的金額

and what we found was pretty shocking,

而調查結果讓我們非常震驚

but more about that later.

這我們晚點再來談

So it's easy to think that corruption happens

所以我們可以輕易的推論

somewhere over there,

貪腐在遙遠的那邊發生著

carried out by a bunch of greedy despots

被一些貪婪的獨裁者

and individuals up to no good in countries

以及對國家沒有益處的個人所把持

that we, personally, may know very little about

於此，對我們個人而言，似乎是少有所知

and feel really unconnected to

且覺得沒什麼關聯

and unaffected by what might be going on.

好像對我們的生活也沒什麼影響

But does it just happen over there?

但這些事情真的只會發生在別的地方嗎?

Well, at 22, I was very lucky.

在我 22 歲時，我很幸運

My first job out of university

我畢業後的第一份工作

was investigating the illegal trade in African ivory.

就是調查非洲象牙的非法交易

And that's how my relationship with corruption really began.

那正是我和貪腐產生關聯的開始

In 1993, with two friends who were colleagues,

1993 年，我和兩個朋友，也是同事

Simon Taylor and Patrick Alley,

Simon Taylor 和 Patrick Alley

we set up an organization called Global Witness.

我們成立了一個名為"全球見證" (Global Witness) 的組織

Our first campaign was investigating the role

我們的第一個行動就是調查非法伐木

of illegal logging in funding the war in Cambodia.

在柬埔寨戰爭資金裡所扮演的角色

So a few years later, and it's now 1997,

過了幾年， 1997 年

and I'm in Angola undercover investigating blood diamonds.

我在安哥拉秘密調查血鑽石的議題

Perhaps you saw the film,

也許你看過這部好萊塢電影

the Hollywood film "Blood Diamond,"

"血鑽石" (Blood Diamond)

李奧納多·狄卡皮歐 主演的

the one with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Well, some of that sprang from our work.

部分劇情是根據我們的調查而來

Luanda, it was full of land mine victims

在盧安達，到處都是地雷的受害者

who were struggling to survive on the streets

他們在街上掙扎著求生存

and war orphans living in sewers under the streets,

戰爭孤兒在街邊的陰溝裡生活

and a tiny, very wealthy elite

而人數極少的闊綽菁英

who gossiped about shopping trips to Brazil and Portugal.

談論的盡是去巴西和葡萄牙的血拼之旅

And it was a slightly crazy place.

那真是個有點瘋狂的地方

So I'm sitting in a hot and very stuffy hotel room

當我坐在相當悶熱的旅館房間時

feeling just totally overwhelmed.

覺得自己快撐不下去了

But it wasn't about blood diamonds.

但不是因為血鑽石的緣故

Because I'd been speaking to lots of people there

是因為我對許多當地人進行演說

who, well, they talked about a different problem:

而他們談到了另一個不同的問題是：

that of a massive web of corruption on a global scale

在這種全球層級的大規模貪腐網絡中

and millions of oil dollars going missing.

與石油相關的數百萬美金可以消失

And for what was then a very small organization

而像我們這麼小的組織

of just a few people,

不過才幾個成員

trying to even begin to think how we might tackle that

卻想要試著逮到那些人

was an enormous challenge.

無異是個巨大的挑戰

And in the years that I've been,

而在這些年裡

and we've all been campaigning and investigating,

從我們所有的行動和追查中

I've repeatedly seen that what makes corruption

我不斷的看到，是什麼

on a global, massive scale possible,

讓貪腐得以在全球級的規模中發生

well it isn't just greed or the misuse of power

要知道這不僅僅是貪婪或是濫用權力

or that nebulous phrase "weak governance."

或用含混不清的 "無能治理" 可以解釋

I mean, yes, it's all of those,

我的意思是，沒錯，這些全都是原因

but corruption, it's made possible by the actions

但貪腐能發生

of global facilitators.

是因為全球級主事者的行為

So let's go back to some of those people I talked about earlier.

所以回到之前我提過的那些人

Now, they're all people we've investigated,

他們都是我們調查過的人

and they're all people who couldn't do what they do alone.

他們都不可能只靠自己就做出那些事情來

Take Obiang junior. Well, he didn't end up

就以奧比昂二世來說

with high-end art and luxury houses without help.

如果沒人幫忙，他不可能 擁有那些高級藝術品和豪宅

He did business with global banks.

他和世界級的銀行打交道

A bank in Paris held accounts of companies controlled by him,

他在巴黎一家銀行 為自己掌控的公司開設帳戶

one of which was used to buy the art,

其中一個帳戶就是用來買藝術品

and American banks, well, they funneled

而美國的銀行

73 million dollars into the States,

則讓七千三百萬美金流入美國

some of which was used to buy that California mansion.

這筆資金一部分去買了加州的豪宅

And he didn't do all of this in his own name either.

當然他也沒用自己的名義去做這些事

He used shell companies.

他利用一些空殼公司

He used one to buy the property, and another,

其中一家空殼公司買不動產

which was in somebody else's name,

而另一個也是在別人名下的空殼公司

to pay the huge bills it cost to run the place.

則支付維持這個物業的龐大費用

And then there's Dan Etete.

再來看 丹•埃泰特

Well, when he was oil minister,

當他是石油部長的時候

he awarded an oil block now worth over a billion dollars

把一處價值超過十億美金 的油區贈與一間公司

to a company that, guess what, yeah,

你可以猜猜是怎麼回事

he was the hidden owner of.

他自己就是那公司的幕後老闆

Now, it was then much later traded on

現在要講到的是最近的交易

with the kind assistance of the Nigerian government --

在奈及利亞政府大方的幫忙下

now I have to be careful what I say here —

我對於現在要說出的話得要非常小心

to subsidiaries of Shell and the Italian Eni,

和 Shell 和 義大利 Eni 的子公司合作

two of the biggest oil companies around.

這是兩家最大的石油公司

So the reality is, is that the engine of corruption,

所以事實上，這是否才是貪腐的動力

well, it exists far beyond the shores of countries

這問題不光發生在那些海外國家

like Equatorial Guinea or Nigeria or Turkmenistan.

例如：赤道幾內亞、奈及利亞或土庫曼

This engine, well, it's driven

驅動的動力

by our international banking system,

來自國際銀行組織

by the problem of anonymous shell companies,

來自這些匿名的空殼公司

and by the secrecy that we have afforded

也來自我們賦予這些大型的石油

big oil, gas and mining operations,

天然氣和礦產開採行動隱匿的權利

and, most of all, by the failure of our politicians

而最重要的，是來自政客的失職

to back up their rhetoric and do something

無能實現他們的花言巧語

really meaningful and systemic to tackle this stuff.

做些真正有意義的事 且有系統的抓出這些爛帳

Now let's take the banks first.

現在我們先談銀行問題

Well, it's not going to come as any surprise

當我告訴你們銀行收黑錢時

for me to tell you that banks accept dirty money,

我想你們不會覺得驚訝

but they prioritize their profits in other destructive ways too.

但他們的獲利卻也造成破壞

For example, in Sarawak, Malaysia.

以馬來西亞的砂勞越為例

Now this region, it has just five percent

現在這個區域只剩下 5% 的森林未經開發

of its forests left intact. Five percent.

只剩下 5% 而已

So how did that happen?

這是怎麼一回事？

Well, because an elite and its facilitators

就因為一個所謂菁英和主事者們

have been making millions of dollars

多年來

from supporting logging on an industrial scale

藉由支援企業規模的大量伐木

for many years.

賺進了數百萬美元

So we sent an undercover investigator in

所以我們派出一個秘密調查員

to secretly film meetings with members of the ruling elite,

錄下管理階層的的會議過程

and the resulting footage, well, it made some people very angry,

這段影片讓某些人非常生氣

and you can see that on YouTube,

你可以在 YouTube 上找到這影片

but it proved what we had long suspected,

但這證實了我們長久以來的懷疑

因為影片中顯示出這個州長

because it showed how the state's chief minister,

despite his later denials,

儘管他後來否認了

used his control over land and forest licenses

他利用掌控土地和森林許可證的職權

to enrich himself and his family.

讓他自己和家族獲利

And HSBC, well, we know that HSBC bankrolled

同時還有匯豐銀行 (HSBC)

the region's largest logging companies

就我們所知，匯豐資助 當地幾家最大的伐木公司

that were responsible for some of that destruction

對於這些發生在砂勞越 和其他地方的破壞行為

他們也要負一部分責任

in Sarawak and elsewhere.

The bank violated its own sustainability policies in the process,

匯豐在這過程中違反了他們永續經營的方針

but it earned around 130 million dollars.

但從中賺了大約一億三千萬美金

Now shortly after our exposé,

當我們揭露這個事實之後不久

very shortly after our exposé earlier this year,

在今年稍早前揭露之後不久

the bank announced a policy review on this.

匯豐宣布要以公司政策標準重審相關事宜

And is this progress? Maybe,

這算是進步嗎？　也許是

but we're going to be keeping a very close eye

但我們還是會持續的關注

on that case.

這個議題

And then there's the problem of anonymous shell companies.

再來是匿名空殼公司的問題

Well, we've all heard about what they are, I think,

我想我們都聽過這樣的公司

and we all know they're used quite a bit

也知道有些人、有些公司

by people and companies who are trying to avoid

經常利用空殼公司

paying their proper dues to society,

來規避他們對社會應盡的責任

also known as taxes.

也就是納稅

But what doesn't usually come to light

但我們通常不知道的

is how shell companies are used to steal

空殼公司可以用來竊取數字龐大的金錢

huge sums of money, transformational sums of money,

把大筆大筆的金錢

from poor countries.

從貧困的國家中洗白轉出

In virtually every case of corruption that we've investigated,

在每個我們追查的貪腐事件中

shell companies have appeared,

都出現了空殼公司

and sometimes it's been impossible to find out

有時真的無法查出

who is really involved in the deal.

到底有哪些人牽涉其中

A recent study by the World Bank

最近世界銀行有份研究中指出

looked at 200 cases of corruption.

檢視 200 件貪腐案件後

It found that over 70 percent of those cases

發現其中有 70% 的案例

had used anonymous shell companies,

就是使用匿名的空殼公司

totaling almost 56 billion dollars.

牽涉的金額幾乎高達五百六十億美金

Now many of these companies were in America

現在有許多空殼公司設在美國

or the United Kingdom,

或者是英國

its overseas territories and Crown dependencies,

在境外領土或是英國皇家屬地

and so it's not just an offshore problem,

所以這不是與我們無關的境外問題

it's an on-shore one too.

這已經發生在我們境內

You see, shell companies, they're central

要知道，這些空殼公司是秘密交易的核心

to the secret deals which may benefit wealthy elites

也許少數富有的菁英份子 可以從中得到好處

rather than ordinary citizens.

但一般平民是無從獲益的

One striking recent case that we've investigated

最近我們調查了一個引人注目的案件

is how the government in the Democratic Republic of Congo

調查目標是剛果政府

sold off a series of valuable, state-owned mining assets

如何把一系列極有價值的公家礦區賣出

to shell companies in the British Virgin Islands.

賣給一間在英屬維京群島註冊的空殼公司

So we spoke to sources in country,

於是我們找了剛果的線人

trawled through company documents and other information

搜查了所有公司文件和其他資訊

trying to piece together a really true picture of the deal.

試著拼湊出這個交易的真實面貌

And we were alarmed to find that these shell companies

而後我們警覺到

had quickly flipped many of the assets on

這些空殼公司將資產快速地轉賣給

for huge profits to major international mining companies

設立於倫敦的大型國際採礦公司

listed in London.

賺進了高額的利潤

Now, the Africa Progress Panel, led by Kofi Annan,

科菲•安南(Kofi Annan) 領導的非洲發展小組 (Africa Progress Panel)

they've calculated that Congo may have lost

已經估算出剛果在這些交易中的損失

more than 1.3 billion dollars from these deals.

已經高於十三億美金

That's almost twice

這金額

the country's annual health and education budget combined.

幾乎是剛果整年度健康和教育預算總合的兩倍

And will the people of Congo, will they ever get their money back?

而剛果人民有可能拿回他們的錢嗎？

Well, the answer to that question,

這問題的答案

and who was really involved and what really happened,

和誰真正牽涉其中、以及事件的真相

well that's going to probably remain locked away

都可能永不見天日

in the secretive company registries of the British Virgin Islands

如果我們不針對這些註冊在英屬維京群島

and elsewhere unless we all do something about it.

或其他地方的空殼公司採取行動的話

And how about the oil, gas and mining companies?

至於那些石油、天然氣和礦產公司呢？

Okay, maybe it's a bit of a cliché to talk about them.

好吧，這是有點老生常談

Corruption in that sector, no surprise.

在這些產業發生貪腐並不意外

There's corruption everywhere, so why focus on that sector?

到處都有貪腐，為什麼要特別關注這些產業？

Well, because there's a lot at stake.

這是因為其中牽涉的利益太大

In 2011, natural resource exports

2011 年，在非洲、亞洲和拉丁美洲

outweighed aid flows by almost 19 to one

天然資源的輸出和援助資金的比例相差甚鉅

in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Nineteen to one.

大約是 19：1

Now that's a hell of a lot of schools and universities

這意味許多的學校、大學

and hospitals and business startups,

醫院和企業創業的營運

many of which haven't materialized and never will

都無法實現，也可能永遠沒有機會實現

because some of that money has simply been stolen away.

因為相關經費已經被竊取

Now let's go back to the oil and mining companies,

現在回來談石油和採礦公司

and let's go back to Dan Etete and that $1 billion deal.

回到 丹•埃泰特 和他十億美金的交易

And now forgive me, I'm going to read the next bit

現在請原諒我將要照著小抄唸

because it's a very live issue, and our lawyers

因為這是非常即時的現場演說

have been through this in some detail

我們的律師查閱過一些相關條文

and they want me to get it right.

所以他們希望我不要有任何口誤

Now, on the surface, the deal appeared straightforward.

現在，表面上這些交易看來都很單純

Subsidiaries of Shell and Eni

Shell 和 Eni 的子公司

paid the Nigerian government for the block.

付錢向奈及利亞政府買那個區塊

The Nigerian government transferred

奈及利亞政府把收到的每一分錢

precisely the same amount, to the very dollar,

完全一樣的數字，都轉出去

to an account earmarked for a shell company

轉給一個指定給空殼公司的帳號

whose hidden owner was Etete.

空殼公司背後的老闆是 Etete

Now, that's not bad going for a convicted money launderer.

這個被定罪的洗錢犯還真是賺翻了

And here's the thing.

但現在的問題是

After many months of digging around

經過這幾個月的探查詢訪

and reading through hundreds of pages of court documents,

以及研究數百頁法庭文件後

we found evidence that, in fact,

我們找到了證據

Shell and Eni had known that the funds

發現 Shell 和 Eni 知道

would be transferred to that shell company,

這些金錢會被轉到空殼公司

and frankly, it's hard to believe they didn't know

而且坦白說，很難相信他們不知道

who they were really dealing with there.

到底是跟什麼樣的人達成這筆交易

Now, it just shouldn't take these sorts of efforts

而現在不應該花這些功夫

to find out where the money in deals like this went.

去追查這些錢跑到哪去

I mean, these are state assets.

我認為

They're supposed to be used for the benefit

這些都是國家的資產

of the people in the country.

本來應該用來讓人民受益

But in some countries, citizens and journalists

但在一些國家裡

who are trying to expose stories like this

公民和記者如果想要揭露這些事

have been harassed and arrested

通常不是遭到恐嚇就是遭到逮捕

and some have even risked their lives to do so.

甚至要以生命為賭注去揭發

And finally, well, there are those who believe

而最終，有些人深信

that corruption is unavoidable.

貪腐是無可避免

It's just how some business is done.

他們認為這就是做生意的方式

It's too complex and difficult to change.

太複雜也太難去改變

So in effect, what? We just accept it.

所以怎麼辦呢？　我們就只能接受

But as a campaigner and investigator,

但身為一個活動者和調查員

I have a different view,

我有著不同的觀點

because I've seen what can happen

因為我曾見證過

when an idea gains momentum.

當一個理念凝聚了氣勢之後發生的事

In the oil and mining sector, for example,

以石油和開礦的產業區塊為例

there is now the beginning

現在正開始進行

of a truly worldwide transparency standard

全球性透明化的法規

that could tackle some of these problems.

這種法規可以抓出一些弊端

In 1999, when Global Witness called

在 1999 年

for oil companies to make payments on deals transparent,

"全球見證" 要求石油公司支付交易透明的費用時

well, some people laughed at the extreme naiveté

有些人嘲笑我們

of that small idea.

認為這是一個極為天真的小念頭

But literally hundreds of civil society groups

但之後

from around the world came together

世界各地數以百計的公民團體加入

to fight for transparency,

一起聲援交易透明化

and now it's fast becoming the norm and the law.

如今這已經變成規範與法律了

Two thirds of the value

現在全世界有三分之二的

of the world's oil and mining companies

石油和礦產公司受到交易透明法的規範

are now covered by transparency laws. Two thirds.

三分之二

So this is change happening.

改變正在產生

This is progress.

這是個進展

But we're not there yet, by far.

但距離我們的目標還很遠

Because it really isn't about corruption

因為這真的不是遠在他方的貪腐

somewhere over there, is it?

不是嗎？

In a globalized world, corruption

在全球化的世界裡

is a truly globalized business,

貪腐是全球化的商業行為

and one that needs global solutions,

也需要以全球角度去解決

supported and pushed by us all, as global citizens,

需要我們全體的支援和推動

right here.

這是我們身為全球公民的責任

Thank you.

謝謝你們

(Applause)

(掌聲)