*
Houston-based Walter International, a small company, was the first U.S. energy firm to arrive in Equatorial Guinea. It began producing at a modest natural gas field in late 1991.
Advertisement
Oil Firms' Rich Concessions to Tainted African Ruler Probed
THE WORLD
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday December 22, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 85 words Type of Material: Correction
Equatorial Guinea -- An article in Saturday's Section A included Noble Energy Inc. in a list of companies under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for their operations in Equatorial Guinea. Noble has a minority stake in an energy project in Equatorial Guinea but has not been contacted in regard to the investigation, a company spokesman said. The project operator, Marathon Oil Corp., said in a public filing that it was contacted by the SEC and that it was "cooperating fully" with the inquiry.
Advertisement
The State Department's annual global human rights report released in early 1993 alleged that security forces had tortured students during a large-scale roundup of Obiang's political opponents the previous year. John Bennett, who was then the U.S. ambassador, drafted the section of the report on Equatorial Guinea. He said in an interview that Walter International executives criticized him for its harsh language.
"They told me, 'Don't you realize how that will make things difficult for us with the government here?' " Bennett recalled. Soon afterward, Bennett received an anonymous death threat. He said witnesses told him the note was delivered by an official in Obiang's government.
Walter International, which later sold its Equatorial Guinea holdings to Marathon, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The Clinton administration shuttered the U.S. Embassy in 1995. But just months later, Mobil discovered a huge oilfield in Equatorial Guinea waters. The Obiang regime allowed Mobil, and firms that followed, to retain about 90% of the oil revenue they produced, a share far above the international standard.
In 1998, Mobil made a $65,000 grant to the Institute for Democratic Strategies, a Virginia-based organization funded by the government of Equatorial Guinea.
"Obiang was not satisfied with the 1996 election and how it was received," said Bruce McColm, director of the institute. "He also told me he wanted to improve the human rights situation."
McColm said he provides advice on elections and human rights to Equatorial Guinea. In 2000, his group sent observers to monitor municipal elections, which they reported to be basically free and fair. A United Nations report, in contrast, said the vote "was characterized by the omnipresence of the [ruling] party ... and the intimidating presence of the armed forces."
The industry-backed Corporate Council on Africa has sponsored events honoring Obiang at venues such as New York's Tavern on the Green and the St. Regis Hotel in Washington.
At a February 2002 luncheon at Washington's Army-Navy Club, Exxon Mobil's Swiger lauded Obiang for his commitment to policies "that will benefit the country and its people."
