Tag Archives | UK

How the G20 could unmask the corrupt

The G20 leaders meet in Australia later this year. Pressure is growing on them to build on the commitments from last June’s G8 Summit on beneficial ownership. That’s an obscure phrase for an ugly truth: corrupt individuals from around the world are able to hide their money through complex corporate and trust structures, such that when an […]

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Shelving the shells

From one corruption fighting organisation to another, hats off to Global Witness. Founder Charmian Gooch and her colleagues have been recognised for their stellar efforts to highlight the damage done by corrupt practices in the extractives sector. In her award winning TED talk, Gooch highlighted the role of ‘the facilitators’ – global banks and global […]

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Russian money: too big to sanction?

As the Crimea crisis has developed, there have been calls to freeze Russian and Ukrainian assets in the UK. Russian money is unusual for two reasons. First, the sheer volume. Secondly, because there have been persistent allegations that a substantial proportion of it is dirty money – gained through organised crime and corruption in a […]

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Publishing what you fund can stop corruption

The unthinkable just a few years ago is now starting to happen: sunlight is slowly beginning to shine on aid flowing from donors to countries in need. Timely, understandable, accessible and detailed information about what the United States or the United Kingdom is giving – from Afghanistan to Zambia – is starting to be published. […]

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France acts on asset declaration

Reposted from the Transparency International UK blog. It has been striking how far and how quickly France has moved towards asset disclosure by government ministers in recent weeks, with parliamentarians to follow if a new law is passed. Striking also that when political will exists, galvanised by public outrage, transparency is not so hard to […]

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Money laundering – are BVI leaks a game changer?

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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The Leveson inquiry has exposed Britain’s growing corruption problem

Yesterday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers suggested to the Leveson inquiry that some sections of the press have been making regular payments to a network of corrupted public officials. In the past, it may have been easy for British citizens to pretend corruption is a problem that only exists overseas. However, Akers’s revelations now leave […]

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Does the UK have a corruption problem? Join the debate

Recent events such as the phone hacking controversy, MPs expenses scandal and the spot fixing charges in county cricket have highlighted the fact that the UK is not immune to corruption. Last week an opinion survey published by the European Commission revealed that 71% of British people polled believe that corruption is a major problem in the UK. […]

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Should banks profit from dictators’ money?

As Libya prepares for the future, what are financial centres doing to stop the flow of stolen assets from dictators? The following is adapted from a speech made by Transparency International’s vice-chair, Akere Muna, at the UN public service forum in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania.   If corruption, especially money laundering and […]

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Regaining Trust: Lessons for the Police

Matt Boardman is currently doing an internship at Transparency International’s Defence and Security Programme, and studies History at the University of Cambridge. He has been researching into police corruption and reform. Transparency International’s In Focus article from 4th August notes that the future of post-conflict countries ‘depends to a large extent on the creation of […]

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