CECR Vol.1| The Bankers

A corporations and economic crime report

This report is part of Open Secrets’ broader work focusing on the role of the financial sector in human rights violations.

The report begins by outlining the role played by international banks in supporting the apartheid state, both through the facilitation of illegal weapons trades and the continued provision of loans and capital despite international recognition of apartheid as a crime against humanity. It also considers the impact on democratic South Africa in repaying these odious debts. It then examines four contemporary case studies that speak to the role of corporations, particularly those in the financial sector, in illicit and illegal activity. They aim to provide an insight into how corporations have taken advantage of slack regulation and weak institutions to profit at the expense of South Africans