Selection of anti-corruption stories from TrustLaw and other media
London, Nov 11 (TrustLaw) – Here is our selection of anti-corruption stories from TrustLaw and other media from the last 10 days.
Global
BLOG-Making sense of corruption rankings
TrustLaw, UK
How do you measure corruption? Is it actually possible to measure corruption? Is a survey that is only based on perceptions of corruption even worth the paper it’s written on? TrustLaw discusses the role of corruption indices in the wake of the latest Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International.
VIDEO INTERVIEW-Corruption can be lessened if not wiped out
TrustLaw, Thailand
The 1,200 participants of the upcoming 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference hope to find practical ways of fighting graft and restoring people’s trust in key institutions. Ahead of the summit, which began in Bangkok on Nov. 10, its top organiser Barry O'Keefe spoke to TrustLaw about the pervasiveness of graft but also about his belief that it can be reduced if not eliminated entirely.
Graft helps rogue states, extremists make nuclear arms – expert
TrustLaw, Thailand
Rogue states and extremist groups are using “the illicit back door of corruption” to buy the materials and secret information necessary to make nuclear weapons and it is possible al Qaeda could eventually detonate a crude Hiroshima-sized bomb, an expert from a global think-tank has said.
Africa
Africa lacks accountable governance, says Ireland’s ex-president
Vanguard, Nigeria
Former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, said that African countries lack accountable governance - key to tackling corruption and ensuring supremacy of the rule of law. Speaking to reporters at Lagos international airport she said that for Africa to move forward, it had to try harder to tackle corruption and promote the rule of law, adding that countries in Africa would only prosper according to the policy of good and accountable governance.
French court opens way to probe of African assets
Reuters, Paris
France's highest court has reopened the way for a legal investigation into tens of millions of euros worth of assets held in the country by three African presidents or their families. The court overturned a Paris appeals court ruling rejecting a case lodged by non-governmental anti-graft organisation Transparency International that pressed for a judicial inquiry into the source of assets held in France by the presidential families of Gabon, the Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea.
South Asia and Asia-Pacific
Bangladesh seeks to protect whistleblowers to curb graft
TrustLaw, India
Bangladesh is stepping up its fight against graft with a new law to encourage and protect government workers or “whistleblowers” who want to disclose information on corruption in public offices but are too frightened to speak out. "The disclosure of information on corruption is fundamental to be able to fight graft but often officials are worried to report corrupt practices amongst their peers and superiors for fear of reprisals," said Iftekhar Zaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh. "The whistleblowers' protection bill came before parliament in the last session and there is a strong possibility that it will be adopted before the end of the year," said Zaman, adding that a draft bill is currently being examined by a parliamentary committee.
Police vow to probe internal corrupt acts
The Jakarta Post, Indonesia
Indonesia’s National Police plans internal monitoring on alleged corrupt practice in the public service, a move critics say is necessary amid reports of public complaints. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) released the results of a survey on the integrity of public institutions. The National Police was among those with a low score. Its head of internal affairs, Commissioner General Nanan Soekarna, said his division would follow up the survey’s findings and urged the public to stop paying the police for illicit services. “I strongly call on the people not to provide space for corrupt practice when dealing with the police,” he said after a meeting with KPK officials.
North America
Bribery investigations spark shareholder suits
Reuters Legal, U.S.
Increased enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is leading to a sharp rise in related shareholder suits against U.S. public companies, a Reuters Legal analysis shows. Over the past four years, the Justice Department has filed 95 enforcement actions for alleged violations of the FCPA, which bars the companies from bribing foreign officials or executives at companies owned by foreign governments. Investigations have been a boon to a growing segment of the plaintiffs' bar that sues companies under scrutiny for alleged overseas bribery. Since the beginning of this year alone, plaintiffs' lawyers have filed 24 shareholder suits against companies that have disclosed FCPA investigations.
Europe
Jacques Chirac to stand trial in second corruption case
BBC, UK
France's former president, Jacques Chirac, is to face a second corruption trial that could take place at the same time as the first case against him. Chirac, 77, is already due to stand trial in the spring on allegations of bogus jobs contracts dating back to his time as mayor of Paris. Now officials say a judge in the Paris suburb of Nanterre has ordered him to face similar charges for "illegal conflict of interest". He has always denied wrongdoing.
Nurgaliyev seeks to entrap corrupt cops
The Moscow Times, Russia
Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev has called for legal amendments that would allow police officers to entrap fellow officers in bribery stings. "The way to see whether there is any risk of corruption is to turn to preventive methods," Nurgaliyev told a meeting of senior police officials, Interfax reported. Current law forbids entrapment, and those who engage in the practice face a sentence of five years in prison. Nurgaliyev suggested amending the criminal code to allow entrapment.
Financial Times, UK (subscription required)
The Financial Times details how corrupt police in Russia often work hand in glove with organised crime gangs, targeting vulnerable businessmen with investigations and arrests as a way to shake them down for money or take over their assets.
Latin America and Caribbean
INTERVIEW: Fears of unrest, fraud threaten Haiti elections - think tank
TrustLaw, Colombia
Fears of social unrest, fraud allegations, incomplete voter lists and expected low turnout threaten to undermine Haiti's elections later this month, a leading think tank has warned. With the Caribbean nation struggling to recover from January's devastating earthquake, presidential and legislative elections scheduled for November 28 are regarded as the country's most important polls in decades, as a new government and parliament will lead reconstruction and oversee the spending of billions of dollars in foreign aid.
Middle East
Dubai municipality workers warned over corruption and greed
The National, UAE
Corruption and greed will not be tolerated among public officials, Dubai police and municipality officials warned. They joined forces at the fifth annual Dubai Municipality Training Forum to declare zero tolerance for misconduct. Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the chief of Dubai Police, said loyalty, rejecting bribes, keenness for public welfare and sincerity towards an employer were of paramount importance to further strengthening the city.
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