GVL Response to the Global Witness Report “The New Snake Oil”

GVL strongly refutes Global Witness's allegations of coercion, intimidation, and flawed consent processes in its Liberian oil palm operations. The company asserts its compliance with RSPO standards, highlights its role as a major regional employer, and denies accelerating land conversion during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. GVL further defends its financial dealings with Liberian politicians as transparent, arm's-length rental agreements.

• GVL denies that it accelerated land conversion during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, stating that 70% of land preparation for that year occurred before August 2014 and that activity was subsequently scaled back.
• The company asserts that its Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) processes are compliant with RSPO requirements, noting that a senior RSPO team attested to this in June 2014.
• GVL claims to be the largest employer in its region of operation, employing nearly 4,000 Liberians and providing benefits that impact approximately 40,000 community members.
• GVL rejects allegations of bribery or improper financial dealings with Senator Milton Teahjay and former Senator Mobutu Nyenphan, describing the rental of their properties as transparent, market-priced, arm's-length transactions.
• The company disputes Global Witness's account of a May 26, 2015 incident, stating that GVL employees and government officials were the victims of a violent attack by youths involving kidnapping and theft.
• GVL states that it has a zero-tolerance policy for intimidation and denies employing anyone for the purpose of coercion, specifically refuting the claim that it employed a 'warlord' to intimidate opponents.
• Regarding land ownership, GVL argues that land worked on so far is community land and will revert to those communities at the end of agreement periods, in accordance with the Liberian Land Policy.
• GVL maintains that its Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with communities are compliant with RSPO FPIC requirements and were signed after extensive negotiation processes lasting 12-24 months.

APA

Global Witness (2015). GVL Response to the Global Witness Report “The New Snake Oil”. https://globalwitness.org/documents/148/GVL_Response_-_8_Aug_15.pdf

Chicago

Global Witness. GVL Response to the Global Witness Report “The New Snake Oil”. 2015. https://globalwitness.org/documents/148/GVL_Response_-_8_Aug_15.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Witness |title=GVL Response to the Global Witness Report “The New Snake Oil” |date=12 August 2015 |url=https://globalwitness.org/documents/148/GVL_Response_-_8_Aug_15.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalwitness2015gvl, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{GVL Response to the Global Witness Report “The New Snake Oil”}}, publisher = {Global Witness}, year = {2015}, month = aug, url = {https://globalwitness.org/documents/148/GVL_Response_-_8_Aug_15.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }