A daily scrapbook of stories from major news media on corruption, bribery and financial crimes
LONDON - Britain spent £4.5million ($7.3 million) of its international aid budget on combating corruption in Russia, before civil servants admitted the programme had been largely unsuccessful, the Daily Mail reports. The money was spent between 2007 and 2011 on trying to make public administration in Russia more efficient and transparent. In a report submitted to lawmakers, the Department for International Development (DFID) admitted that although the anti-corruption training courses were generally well attended, 'evidence that they are changing behaviour is weak'.
PRISTINA - A Transparency International report released this month shows that Kosovo is slipping in the battle against corruption, yielding far less progress than other regional countries, the Southeast European Times reports. Because of weak functioning of institutions in charge of law and order, and the influence of politicians on them, the country has stagnated in executing laws, especially those aiming to fight corruption, the newspaper cited the report as saying.
GUANGZHOU, China - A law enforcement team leader from the Baiyun District Branch of the Guangzhou Urban Management Bureau was sentenced to 14 years in jail for accepting large bribes, the Guangzhou Intermediate Peoples' Court said, according to China Daily. Wang Baolin, director of Guangzhou Chengguan's Taihe Township Law Enforcement Team, took bribes valued at 4.17 million yuan ($668,300), plus 500 grams of golden merchandise, from a local briber called Deng, the newspaper said.
SANTIAGO - Chile’s Justice Minister Teodoro Ribera resigned today amid allegations he has ties to a former director of the country’s accreditation committee, or CNA, which improperly authorized some universities to operate, Bloomberg reports. A member of President Sebastian Pinera’s National Renewal Party, Ribera previously was rector of Chile’s Autonomous University. Ribera is accused of having ties to former CNA Director Luis Eugenio Diaz, who is under investigation for bribery and allegedly using Ribera to try to get a family member admitted to the Autonomous University. Ribera today denied allegations of wrongdoing.
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa - There is a call in American Samoa to ban the presentation of traditional gifts, or sua, during an election campaign, Radio New Zealand International reports. The territory’s member of the US Congress, Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin, says he hopes the incoming administration will move to prohibit traditional gift giving. He says American Samoa should follow the example of Samoa where the law bans the practice six months before an election.
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