Tag Archives | tax evasion

Whistleblowing in Greece: an alternative to silence

By on 8 May 2013 in Europe and Central Asia, Whistleblowing

In September 2012, the US Internal Revenue Service awarded Bradley Birkefeld with US$104 million, as he provided prosecutors with detailed information about the “consultating services” that UBS AG offered to rich clients, thus enabling tax evasion. Within two months, new legislation on whistleblowers’ protection for federal employees came up by the US President Barack Obama. [...]

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Money laundering – are BVI leaks a game changer?

By on 8 April 2013 in Private sector

Reposted from Transparency International UK The recent leaks of information about who actually owns the companies registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) offer a first glimpse for many people into this very murky world. For years, small amounts of information have trickled out – often through court cases – that indicate these so-called secrecy [...]

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#offshoreleaks: 21st Century Journalism at its best

By on 4 April 2013 in Access to information, Accountability, Asset recovery, Cost of Corruption, Politics and government, Whistleblowing

Around 260 Gigabytes of data from ten tax havens, 2.5 million documents, 130.000 persons from 170 countries concerned – a mega coup. But some questions are still to be answered. Today’s releases regarding #offshoreleaks include everything one can expect from good journalism in the 21st century: Collaboration: 84 journalists worked on the story, coordinated by [...]

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New Report: Developing Countries Lost $5.86 Trillion from 2001-2010

By on 19 December 2012 in Financial Markets, Poverty and development

Reposted from the blog of the Task Force for Financial Integrity & Economic Development. Task Force member Global Financial Integrity released their newest report on illicit financial flows from the developing world last night. The report found that $5.86 trillion left the developing world due to crime, corruption, and tax evasion from 2001-2010, $859 billion [...]

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What Billions In Illicit And Licit Capital Flight Means For The People Of Zambia

By on 16 December 2012 in Africa and Middle East, Aid, Cost of Corruption, Private sector

A forthcoming report by Global Financial Integrity finds that Zambia lost US$8.8 billion in illicit financial outflows from 2001-2010

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Is the G20 serious about fighting corruption?

By on 12 December 2012 in Financial Markets, G20, Politics and government, Private sector

In the past weeks we have witnessed a great deal of news surrounding issues of transparency and accountability of multinational companies. In the UK, several international corporations including Starbucks, Google, and Amazon, have been questioned in Parliament over the little corporation tax they pay despite their large UK accounts. Tax evasion is facilitated by the [...]

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G20: Tackling tax evasion?

By on 18 June 2012 in G20, Private sector

This week the heads of state from the G20 are meeting in Mexico, where we hope they will take action to meet their 2009 promise to end bank secrecy. One step already taken is making tax evasion a predicate offence for money laundering. What does that mean? Money laundering is defined as taking the proceeds [...]

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The northern roots of southern Europe’s revenue problem

By on 15 June 2012 in Europe and Central Asia

Reading about the Eurozone crisis in the newspapers, your natural response would be to think that Southern Europe has a problem of overspending. But it also has a revenue problem. The Southern European financial crisis and the envisaged tax Swiss-German law that would essentially launder illegal assets are two sides of the same coin. South [...]

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Corruption and the world in 2011

By on 14 October 2011 in Accountability, Africa and Middle East, Americas, Anti-corruption movement, Asia Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, G20, People power, Technology

The following is adapted from the opening speech by Transparency International chair Huguette Labelle, at the anti-corruption movement’s annual meeting that brings together activists from over 100 countries around the world. The full speech is available here This has been a year of many anti-corruption landmarks and breakthroughs. People are waking up to corruption in [...]

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Recovery of stolen assets: time for action

By on 29 June 2009 in Africa and Middle East, Asset recovery, Politics and government, Poverty and development

As many of our readers might be aware, the French chapter of Transparency International has recently filed an anti-corruption case against the presidents of Gabon, Congo and Equitorial Guinea regarding the millions of dollars in embezzled funds they have allegedly stashed in the form of property and other goods in France. This case broke new [...]

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