Abuja — Chairman of Transparency International (TI), Mr. Peter Eigen, has recommended that multi-national companies involved in bribing government officials and decision-makers to influence business transactions should be blacklisted and prosecuted.

Speaking yesterday when he was received at the State House by the Senior Special Assistant to the President and Head of Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (BMPIU), Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, Eigen noted that such actions could become "some real important sanctions" that could deter corruption, especially in developing countries.

He stated that "for instance, in the case of Halliburton and other big companies that have been involved in or active here in Nigeria, we are very keen to make sure that the slightest violation of the law in Nigeria and the slightest attempt to bribe people is prosecuted also by the headquarters of these companies."

"In Germany, we are looking forward to the conviction of a number of business people who have been brought to court. We hope that the same thing is going to happen in the United States and I will suggest this very much to you, to inform your judicial authorities in the home countries of these companies to make sure that not only do they face your laws and your system of protecting Nigerian People against corruption.

"In Lesotho, they are doing very well in prosecuting Western companies and if this is supported and the companies are blacklisted, it becomes some real important sanctions," he stated.

Eigen also said many foreign companies have continued to engage in the promotion of projects that do not benefit the people and the environment in which they live in because the Corruption Perception Index, CPI, used as benchmark by the TI had placed less emphasis on the receiver of corruption largesse.

He said that TI was giving more time to seeking ways of dealing with the "illegal and commercial system which favoured active bribery of Northern and Western companies in Africa." He added that TI was supporting the creation of integrity in African countries where the problem of official corruption was more prevalent, even as he revealed that the organisation had in December 1997 succeeded in making 35 exporting countries sign a convention outlawing bribery.

The TI Chairman commended the Federal Government's anti-corruption drive and said Nigeria is now a model where it has become compelling that graft is dealt with for good because of its negative consequences.

"Through strong policy advocacy, you, Nigeria, have been working on ending corruption. You are now at the epic centre of the fight against corruption. It is not only for Nigeria or Africa. It is a global battle where economic development has been distorted, economic prosperity has been stalled", he noted.

Speaking earlier, Ezekwesili had said the Federal Government would not relent in its anti-corruption crusade, especially in the area of public procurement which according to her, was an avenue through which public funds had been misappropriated over the years.

She said "our fight against corruption is to bring back sanity and good management of public funds in order to end corruption and tackle poverty".