Rights Group Rebukes Angola for Alleged Missing Oil Revenues

Rights Group Rebukes¹ Angola for Alleged² Missing Oil Revenues

 

Leah Krakinowski

 

A leading human-rights group says the Angolan government cannot account for more than $4 billion in missing oil revenue, nearly 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

New York-based Human Rights Watch released a report on Tuesday that says profits from the state-run oil company, Sonangol, suspiciously disappeared from government coffers between 1997 and 2002.

Angola is Africa's second largest oil exporter. Its $17.8 billion in oil revenue during that same period made up 85 percent of the government's total earnings³.

Arvind Ganesan is director of the Human Rights Watch business program. He says Angolan officials refused to give international aid auditors⁵ an accounting⁶ of the missing funds, at a time when millions of Angolans have no access to hospitals or schools.

"After they had looked at everything the government had spent its money on. It found that in total over six years about $4.2 billion had been spent, but for no definable purpose, and when they asked the government and the institutions within the government for an explanation for how this money was spent, they were either not forthcoming or unwilling⁷ to provide that information."

Mr. Ganesan also says that even though a 27-year civil war between the government and the National Union for the Total Liberation of Angola ended two years ago, the absence of fighting has not led to any improvement in the lives of most Angolans. He says nearly one million Angolans are still homeless and 7.4 million children are malnourished.

"While the government is asking the international community for more money. They need to account for what happened to this money that disappeared since it's roughly equal to how much was spent on life security and social programs and humanitarian⁸ aid. While we wouldn't say that the international community should cut off Angola, they should clearly require that the government account for its own revenues and expenditures¹⁰ and make it clear how it's spending its money."

The Associated Press quotes Angola's Finance Ministry¹¹ spokesman as saying currency fluctuations¹³ are to blame for the missing funds and that the government is preparing a full response to the Human Rights Watch report.

The International Monetary¹⁴ Fund has so far refused to enter into a formal aid program with Angola because of what it says is the lack of transparency of its accounting practices.

Some analysts¹⁵ say Angola is rapidly becoming a major oil-exporter, and will be able to produce as much oil as Kuwait by 2010.

 

注释：

Angolan [AN5^EJlEn] adj. 安哥拉（人）的

account for  说明，证明

revenue [5revinju:] n. （国家的）收入，税收

gross domestic product  国内生产总值，缩写为GDP。

Human Rights Watch  人权观察组织。

Sonangol  安哥拉国家石油公司

coffer [5kCfE] n. 保险箱

auditor⁴ [5C:dItE(r)] n. 审计员

in total  整个地

definable [dI5fBInEbl] adj. 明确的

forthcoming [fC:W5kQmiN] adj. 愿意帮助的，乐于提供消息的

the National Union for the Total Liberation of Angola  安哥拉完全独立民族联邦

malnourished [mAl5nQriFt] adj. 营养不良的

humanitarian [hju(:)7mAni5tZEriEn] adj. 人道主义者的

cut off   断绝

Angola  安哥拉，非洲西南部一国家。

expenditure⁹ [iks5penditFE] n. 花费

Associated Press   美联社

fluctuation¹² [7flQktju5eiFEn] n. 波动，涨落

be to blame for   该负责，应负责

International Monetary Fund   国际货币基金组织，简称IMF，联合国的专门机构之一，是政府间的国际金融组织。

transparency [trAns5pZErEnsi] n. 透明度

Kuwait [ku5weit] n. 科威特，阿拉伯半岛东北部一国家。

1 rebukes   

责难或指责( rebuke的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• His industry rebukes me. 他的勤劳使我感到惭傀。
• The manager's rebukes in loud voice and stern expression have made the clerks gathered in the out office start with alarm. 老板声色俱厉的责备把聚集在办公室外的职员们吓坏了。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 auditor   

n.审计员，旁听着

参考例句：

• The auditor was required to produce his working papers.那个审计员被要求提供其工作底稿。
• The auditor examines the accounts of all county officers and departments.审计员查对所有县官员及各部门的帐目。

5 auditors   

n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生

参考例句：

• The company has been in litigation with its previous auditors for a full year. 那家公司与前任审计员已打了整整一年的官司。
• a meeting to discuss the annual accounts and the auditors' report thereon 讨论年度报表及其审计报告的会议

6 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

7 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

9 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

10 expenditures   

n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 )；使用；（尤指金钱的）支出额；（精力、时间、材料等的）耗费

参考例句：

• We have overspent.We'll have to let up our expenditures next month. 我们已经超支了，下个月一定得节约开支。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pension includes an allowance of fifty pounds for traffic expenditures. 年金中包括50镑交通费补贴。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

12 fluctuation   

n.(物价的)波动，涨落；周期性变动；脉动

参考例句：

• The erratic fluctuation of market prices are in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。
• Early and adequate drainage is essential if fluctuation occurs.有波动感时，应及早地充分引流。

13 fluctuations   

波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table. 他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• There were so many unpredictable fluctuations on the Stock Exchange. 股票市场瞬息万变。

14 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。