Tag Archives | stolen assets

Asset recovery: where are we now?

One of the big topics at this week’s Conference of State Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is asset recovery. Delegates will discuss what more needs to be done – and there is a great deal — to speed up the return of stolen assets to their rightful owners and where UNCAC fits […]

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Three steps to (start) recovering stolen assets

It takes a long time and great deal of good will, legal procedures and paper work to return stolen assets to the countries where they belong. In April 2014, Switzerland commenced the return of US$40 million of Tunisian assets linked to the former Zine El Abidine Ben Ali regime, which had been frozen in the […]

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Eu to freeze corrupt assets from Ukraine

Corruption has been at the heart of the Ukrainian political system for years. According to the latest Corruption Perceptions Index, Ukraine scored 25 out of 100, making it the lowest scoring country in Europe. The Global Corruption Barometer found that 74 percent of Ukrainians said public sector corruption is a serious problem. 47 percent said their government is entirely run by a few big entities acting in their own interest.

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Corruption: An ongoing revolution in the Arab world

The Arab world witnessed unprecedented changes with the toppling of dictators in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya last year. The Arab Spring served to transform the anti-corruption issue from the responsibility of a few, to the preoccupation of many. In most countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, trust in government remains low, with […]

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Foreign bribes in the Middle East & North Africa – Not just a regional problem

Recovery of stolen assets is a prime concern for Arab governments at the moment but what role did multinationals play in bribing former corrupt officials? A six month joint investigation published this week in British papers revealed that the country’s authorities have not been proactive in seizing key assets by the former Egyptian president Hosni […]

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Nigeria: Government must defend rule of law and prosecute officials who commit fraud

The recent conviction of a rich and powerful Nigerian politician in a UK court for laundering stolen assets and news that Nigerian lawmakers are studying the elimination of its two main corruption-fighting commissions has left many members in the mighty West African country’s civil society with mixed feelings. On one hand it’s good to see […]

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Fighting corruption in 2011

Today’s launch of the 2011  Corruption Perceptions Index, notes Christina zur Nedden of Transparency International’s Communications Department, serves as a timely occasion to reflect on our efforts to fight corruption in 2011. Corruption high on the agenda This has been a big year for anti-corruption work and public awareness of corruption has risen substantially. Unprecedented […]

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Why UNCAC needs more civil society involvement: Lessons from the Arab spring

Over 150 governments are meeting in Morocco this week to discuss the UN Convention against Corruption, the only truly global treaty on corruption, at a conference known as the Conference of States Parties which convenes to make critical decisions about the future of the convention and the global fight against corruption. The following is adapted […]

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What do we know about stolen assets in the Middle East?

Elizabeth Johnson is an intern in Transparency International’s Research and Knowledge Department The 2011 turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa has illuminated the issue of stolen assets. The publicly available figures on this issue are startling, even while concrete numbers have been difficult to find because monies are moved illicitly through shadow operations […]

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Looking to a new Libya

As Transparency International asks the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group to prioritise anti-bribery laws, asset recovery and money laundering ahead of the Cannes G20 Summit, Transparency International’s Group Director for Research & Knowledge Robin Hodess reflects on relevance of the disastrous and destabilising impacts the failure to address corruption has had in Arab Spring countries such […]

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