Ex-Im Bank considers deals with corrupt governments

(Friends of the Earth, Washington, 11 May 2016) The U.S. Export-Import Bank loves to remind us that it is not a development agency, and, therefore, is not held to the same requirements as say a development finance institution. Even still, some of the governments that the head of Ex-Im, Fred Hochberg, has recently been meeting with would be enough to give anyone pause. While Ex-Im Bank’s mission might not be to alleviate poverty, Friends of the Earth hopes that it would not use taxpayer dollars in countries where there have been serious concerns about freedom of the press, safety of their citizens and corruption. Considering that the bank has recently been in hot water for deaths that have occurred at projects it has financed, you would think it would want to be a little more careful with the countries it engages with. This article provides examples of corrupt governments that Ex-Im has recently been communicating with.