Oil expulsions ‘will burn Chad’

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – A senior official from Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International warned on Monday that Chad’s move over the weekend to expel two foreign oil firms could further hurt investors’ confidence and hamper growth in the country, which ranked the most corrupt in its survey last year.

In a sudden move over the weekend, Chad President Idriss Deby ordered two foreign firms, Chevron and Malaysia’s Petronas, to leave the country for failing to pay taxes and suspended three ministers who negotiated deals with them.

“We need details on why the action was taken, whose interest will be served by the action and whether procedures they followed are appropriate to the case,” Transparency International Chief Executive David Nussbaum told The Associated Press on the sidelines of an anti-corruption forum in Kuala Lumpur.

“Why it matters is because justice should be done in relative to these firms but also for this country to benefit from international investment and from international firms bringing direct expertise, which it much needs,” he said.

AP