This week's anti-corruption stories from TrustLaw and other media
LONDON (TrustLaw) - Here is our selection of this week’s anti-corruption stories from TrustLaw and other media:
Global
Q+A - Corruption does not just have a “black” face
TrustLaw, London
Corruption experts focus too much on bribe-demanding public officials and the countries they work in and not enough on the companies and countries that supply and harbor illicit funds, resulting in a perception that graft is largely a problem in developing countries, John Christensen director of the Tax Justice Network said.
World Bank punishes units of Alstom SA for bribery
Wall Street Journal, U.S.
The World Bank has temporarily blacklisted and fined two subsidiaries of the French engineering company Alstom SA after the companies allegedly offered bribes to gain a power-plant contract in Zambia a decade ago.
Africa
Billions leave Africa illegally
iafrica.com, South Africa
An estimated $50 billion is exported out of the African continent illegally every year, former South African president Thabo Mbeki told the launch of a United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) high level panel in Johannesburg. The panel, chaired by Mbeki, will investigate illicit and financial flows of finance out of the continent.
US to probe Cobalt oil links in Angola
Financial Times (subscription required), UK
U.S. authorities have launched an investigation into Cobalt International Energy’s operations in Angola, where the group is developing one of the world’s most promising oil frontiers. Alerting its shareholders to the risk that the company might face liabilities under anti-corruption laws in the U.S., Cobalt said it was under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice.
S.African opposition fights to reopen Zuma bribery case
AFP, South Africa
South Africa's main opposition party has gone to court in a bid to force prosecutors to reopen a corruption case against President Jacob Zuma. The Democratic Alliance (DA), the largest opposition party in parliament, argued in the Supreme Court of Appeal that it should be granted access to files that led prosecutors to drop a case against Zuma on charges he received bribes in a multi-billion-dollar arms deal.
South Asia & Asia-Pacific
Nepal ex-police chiefs, Briton convicted for graft in UN deal
TrustLaw, Nepal
A court in Nepal has convicted three former police chiefs of embezzling millions of dollars of public funds while procuring military hardware for the country’s U.N. peacekeepers in Sudan.
Nepal jails cabinet minister for amassing property, cars
TrustLaw, India
Nepal’s Supreme Court has sentenced a cabinet minister to 18 months in jail after he was found guilty of amassing land and property beyond his income in a rare verdict in the nascent Himalayan republic.
China’s army veterans urge military to fight graft
Radio Free Asia, China
Disgruntled veterans of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are continuing a nationwide campaign ahead of annual parliamentary meetings in Beijing next month to fight official corruption, calling publicly for the military to intervene to fight graft.
Indonesia sports minister denies SEA games corruption allegations
Jakarta Globe, Indonesia
Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng has distanced himself from scandals surrounding the Southeast Asian Games, saying he did not know the details of either project and denies ever receiving money from them.
Crackdown on bribery and corruption in Sri Lanka intensifies
Sunday Observer, Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan Commission to Investigate Allegations on Bribery or Corruption has arrested 48 people on corruption charges in the last six months alone, of the anti-graft agency’s commissioners said. In 2007, the commission arrested only 32 people, the commissioner added.
Europe
Italy austerity: Cabinet ministers reveal incomes
BBC, UK
A Harley Davidson motorcycle and some Alpine cabins are among the items disclosed by Italy's cabinet ministers in a gesture of financial transparency. Members of Prime Minister Mario Monti's technocratic government revealed their finances on a website which proved so popular it quickly crashed.
Anti-graft training to be mandatory for English county cricket
BBC, UK
Cricket chiefs in England will visit all county cricket teams to enforce anti-corruption training and are considering sanctions for players who do not complete it.
Irish state ‘hypocrisy’ on mining rule change
Irish Examiner, Republic of Ireland
The Irish government was accused of hypocrisy in not supporting rules to have oil, gas and mining companies in Ireland and other EU countries report what money they pay to governments for mining concessions.
Resource groups seek to dilute anti-graft rules
The Financial Times, UK
Royal Dutch Shell and other natural resources companies have stepped up efforts to counteract planned anti-corruption rules that would force them to disclose payments to governments in countries where they operate.
Croatian TV boss accused of taking bribes
Croatian Times, Croatia
The head of Croatian TV station Nova TV is to be investigated by the Bureau for Combating Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) in relation to allegations that he received bribes from a media company to screen their projects.
North America
Big tobacco joins U.S. anti-bribery law lobbying push
The Wall Street Journal, U.S.
Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, has retained a lobbyist to represent the company’s interest in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The move comes as several other major corporations and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have launched an expensive lobbying campaign to amend the anti-foreign bribery law, which they argue is vague and detrimental to U.S. businesses.
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