Trafigura Group has confessed to a decade-long bribery operation in Brazil, spotlighting the pervasive corruption within global commodity trading.
This acknowledgment is part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in Miami, where Trafigura agrees to pay fines and forfeitures totaling $127 million.
This marks Trafigura’s first admission, distinguishing it from its competitors, who have also faced U.S. scrutiny for corrupt practices.
The disclosure reveals deep-seated issues in a sector that significantly influences the global economy but operates with minimal oversight.
Trafigura Group Pte. Ltd., founded in 1993 and headquartered in Singapore, is a leading multinational commodity trading company.
Its employees own it, and it operates worldwide, specializing in the trade of base metals and energy.
As estimated by Oliver Wyman LLC, the commodity trading sector has an annual revenue of approximately $100 billion, and the impact of such practices is profound.
Trafigura’s guilty plea tarnishes its attempt to rehabilitate its image since a hazardous waste incident in Ivory Coast in 2006.
CEO Jeremy Weir expressed disappointment, highlighting the company’s efforts to foster responsible conduct and enhance its compliance functions, including a ban on using third parties for business origination since 2019.
The case stems from Brazil’s Car Wash (Lava Jato) investigation, which exposed rampant corruption at the state-owned Petrobras.
While Trafigura’s rivals, Vitol Group and Glencore Plc, have previously settled similar accusations, Trafigura had denied any wrongdoing until now.
The company’s change in stance follows a civil lawsuit filed by Brazilian prosecutors in 2020 and a guilty plea by former Petrobras operator Rodrigo Berkowitz in the U.S. in 2019.
Besides this case, Trafigura faces legal challenges in Switzerland over bribery allegations in Angola.
This saga underscores a broader issue of corruption within the commodity trading industry, as seen in the hefty settlements by Gunvor Group, Vitol, and Glencore in related bribery and market manipulation cases.
Trafigura’s confession is a stark reminder of the sector’s ethical challenges.