BHP's Oz Minerals escapes bribery prosecution with a fine

The news: BHP-owned Oz Minerals has evaded prosecution and will pay a fine over alleged bribes paid to Cambodian officials for mining permits.

The numbers: After a long investigation that ended in 2021, Australian Federal Police decided a penalty equivalent to the $9.4 million benefit from the alleged bribery was adequate to punish the miner.

The context: Oz Minerals self-reported its staff may have bribed Cambodian officials to obtain mining rights between 2006 and 2009, and it was further alleged in 2011 that Oz Minerals staff had paid $US1 million ($952,699 at the time) to three board members of joint venture partner Shin Ha when it acquired the company two years prior. The AFP reopened its investigation in 2013 after the OECD reported concerns over lax enforcement of anti-foreign bribery laws in Australia.