Exxon Deal Denies Guyana $55 Billion, Global Witness Says

  • Report to re-ignite debate ahead of next month’s election
  • Exxon says conclusions are ‘misleading’ and ‘without merit’
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Exxon Mobil Corp.’s oil-production contract with Guyana is so heavily weighted in the supermajor’s favor that it will deprive the tiny South American country of some $55 billion over the life of the agreement, according to human-rights group Global Witness.

Guyana had a strong bargaining position when the contract came up for renegotiation in 2016 because Exxon had just made a giant offshore oil discovery, but “inexperienced” bureaucrats failed to press for substantially better fiscal terms, Global Witness said in a report titled “Signed Away” on Monday.