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 Corruption and natural resources
　　
　　贪污与自然资源
　　
　　A fight for light
　　
　　为希望而战
　　
　　Ns and vernments grapple over ownership of mining and energy firms
　　
　　非政府组织和政府与矿业和能源公司掌控者的博弈
　　
　　Whose are the dirtiest hands?
　　
　　谁的手最肮脏？
　　
　　WHETHER the awarding of a licence, the sale of state production quotas or some other transaction, dealings in oil, gas and mining are notoriously prone to corruption. This is a problem in countries that have weak rule of law and rely heavily on extractive industries. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly at risk: its ten largest oil-producing states derived 56% of their public revenues from oil exports in 2011-13.
　　
　　众所周知，无论是颁发执照、国家生产配额的出售还是其他一些交易，在石油、天然气和矿产方面的交易是贪污腐败的高发地。这是法律不完善并严重依赖采掘业的国家面临的一个问题。撒哈拉以南非洲国家尤其危险：2011至2013年间，十大石油生产国的56%的财政收入来源于石油出口。
　　
　　Light is the best disinfectant, say anti-corruption campaigners—and many think the best hope for greater transparency lies with an emerging global standard known as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which has grown to include 48 members (either compliant or candidate countries) since it was formed 12 years a. But the EITI has reached a crossroads: it must now choose either to push ahead with bold disclosure requirements first floated in 2013, or back away under pressure from those who argue that revealing the true (“beneficial”) owners of companies involved in extractive deals with the state is tricky. This was to be discussed at a gathering of the EITI’s “multi-stakeholder” board—including representatives from Ns,went to press.companies and vernments—which was due to finish on October 22nd, after The Economist
　　
　　反贪污运动参与者说事务公开是最佳的解决之道。许多参与者认为扩大透明化的最大希望在于一个叫《采掘业透明化倡议》（EITI）的新兴世界规范。这个倡议在12年前提出，目前已经有48个成员国（包括服从该倡议国家和候选国家）。但是EITI发展到了十字路口：现在它必须在前进和后退之间做出选择------向前，同意于2013年首次通过的大力度的事务公开要求；或者是在来自争辩者的巨大压力下选择后退。这些争辩者认为揭露那些涉及与政府进行采掘贸易而真正获利的公司拥有者太过棘手。这个问题将在EITI的利益相关方集会上进行讨论，利益相关方包括来自非政府组织、公司和政府的代表。就《经济学人》报道，这一集会计划在10月22日落下帷幕。
　　
　　Tracking ownership is important because opaque shell companies are the vehicle of choice for those seeking to divert public oil wealth into private pockets. In a ground-breaking move two years a EITI members agreed that from 2016 private firms making or receiving payments in extractive industries should be required to disclose their ownership. This put the EITI at the front of a global push to reveal more about who is behind shady firms.
　　
　　所有权公开是十分重要，因为不透明的空壳公司对于那些试图转移公众石油财富到私人口袋的人来说是媒介选择。在两年前一个突破性的进程上，EITI成员同意从2016年开始私营企业在采掘业方面获得收入或支出时，应该被要求公布他们的所有权。这一举措把EITI推到了揭示更多关于谁是背后臭名昭著的公司的全球性的风口浪尖上。
　　
　　After testing this requirement in 11 countries, the EITI must now decide whether to extend it to all members. Everyone agrees the pilot was only a partial success, but not on why. Campaigners say information was often not gathered because disclosure was, in practice, more encouraged than required. vernments retort that getting to the bottom of who really controls firms whose registered owner is another obscure company or a three-year-old child can be devilishly difficult.
　　
　　这个要求在11个国家测试后，EITI现在必须决定是否把该测试普及到所有成员。每个成员国都同意这一试点只是部分成功，但在原因上他们各执一词。活动参与者认为信息不集中往往是因为在实践中人们更鼓励揭露信息而不是强行要求。政府反驳说，对于那些注册所有者是另一个有名公司或者是一个三岁小孩的公司，要深入了解到谁是这个公司的真正持有者是非常困难的。
　　
　　Whatever the reason, pro-transparency groups say the EITI urgently needs to make public disclosure of ownership a condition of membership, with the threat of suspension for countries that drag their feet. The campaigners fear that if the 2016 deadline is allowed to drift, transparency will become less of a priority. The EITI faces a “credibility test”, says Brendan O’Donnell of Global Witness, an N.
　　
　　不管什么原因，透明化的团体说，EITI迫切需要对公众公开披露股东成员状况，有各国经济停滞拖后腿的威胁。活动推动者担心，如果2016年的最后期限允许推迟，那么透明度问题将不会被优先考虑。非政府组织全球见证成员Brendan O'Donnell说，EITI正面临着“可信度测试”。
　　
　　Another worry is that back-pedalling will encourage countries to use the EITI as a figleaf. A new report by Global Witness details how in recent years $4 billion was siphoned off to opaque companies, some of them linked to current or former officials, in just a handful of deals in four African countries: Nigeria, Anla, the Democratic Republic of Con and Con-Brazzaville. Three of the four are full members of the EITI.
　　
　　另一个担忧是，出尔反尔将鼓动各国用EITI做为遮羞布来完成交易。一份由全球见证发表的最新报告详述了近年来40亿美元的资金流失于未透明化的公司中，而其中一些公司还与现任或前任官员有关，在四个非洲国家中只有少数几个这样的交易：尼日利亚、安哥拉、刚果民主共和国和刚果-布拉柴维尔。四个国家中有三个国家是EITI的正式成员。
　　
　　Con-Brazzaville hosted the last EITI board meeting, in April. Yet secrecy continues to surround the beneficiaries of companies profiting from its oil wealth. Some fear that the situation has not improved much since 2005, when a British court ruled that AOGC, a firm that had bought cares at below-market rates from the national oil company, SNPC, was owned and controlled by the then director-general of the SNPC, Denis kana. This arrangement was ostensibly to disguise the state’s interest and avoid claims by sovereign-debt holders.
　　
　　在今年四月，刚果-布拉柴维尔主持了最近一次EITI董事会会议。然而不确定因素继续围绕着从石油财富中获利的公司的受益者。一些人担心这种状况自2005年以来就没有多大改善。在当时英国法院裁定AOGC期间(石油和天然气委员会 ),一个由当时国家石油公司SNPC的主管丹尼斯戈卡纳所拥有和控制的公司，从SNPC以低于市场价买来石油。这项交易，表面上是为了维护国家利益，以避免主权债务持有人的索赔。
　　
　　Mystery continues to surround firms involved in key deals, including three joint-ventures between SNPC and the 88 Queensway Group, a Hong Kong-based outfit that has brokered many Chinese-backed energy deals in Africa (and whose presumed head, Sam Pa, was detained recently in Beijing). The firms were reportedly set up to sell Conlese oil in Asia. Global Witness found that their directors include Mrkana and Denis ChristelSassouNguesso, a son of the president who has held various positions in the national oil industry. Though the opacity of these arrangements raises questions, there is no evidence of wrongdoing.
　　
　　有着重大交易的公司仍然保持着神秘感，包括SNPC 和金钟道88号组之间的三大联营体，它是以香港为基础的公司，谈成了许多以中国为后盾的非洲能源交易，（他们假定的领导者徐京华最近停留在北京）这些公司正着手于在亚洲销售刚果石油。全球见证发现他们的监督者包括Mrkana和一位曾在全国石油行业担任过众多要职的主席的儿子 Denis ChristelSassouNguesso。尽管这些不透明的安排引来了质疑，但是仍然没有刑事犯罪的证据。
　　
　　Clare Short, who chairs the EITI board, says the initiative has greatly increased the flow of information about payments to and by vernments in just a decade. But she acknowledges that progress can be painfully slow at times, with the risk of setbacks. The broad composition of the EITI’s board ensures that “conflict is entrenched in the very model”, she sighs. The fight to shine more light on oily deals es on.
　　
　　Clare Short主持了EITI项目，说到政府的倡议仅在十年之内就极大地提高了支出信息的公开度。但是她承认这种进步有时是很缓慢的，伴随着倒退的风险。她叹息道，EITI董事会成员确定“冲突恰恰是在这一模式中产生的”。使石油交易更加公开化的战斗仍在继续。

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