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No impunity: the law steps in to investigate

It’s getting harder for Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue to keep getting away with it. The son of the long-serving president of Equatorial Guinea has been forced by the US government to forfeit his cliff-top Malibu mansion, a rare Ferrari and several life-size Michael Jackson statues, all said by the US Department of Justice to have […]

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Thuli Madonsela: Corruption eats away at the soul of the nation

Transparency International took the opportunity during her visit to Berlin to accept this year’s Integrity Award, to talk to South Africa’s top corruption fighter Thuli Madonsela about her role as Public Protector, her work and the legacy she hopes to leave behind. As the Public Protector how do you fight corruption in South Africa? Our office seeks […]

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Access to information: collective action; collective voices

Across the Middle East and North Africa, Transparency International chapters and partner organisations used the International Right to Know day to petition governments to put access to information high on the political agenda. We are calling for comprehensive access to information laws in countries where there are none and for greater implementation where laws exist […]

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G20 Meets to Act on Corporate Taxes – But More Needed on Corruption

The often highly complicated approaches used by giant corporations to lower their tax bills will be under attack at this weekend’s key meeting of finance ministers of the Group of 20 most powerful nations in Cairns, Australia. The G20 is expected to act to end systems where companies like Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and many others […]

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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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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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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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OECD moves forward on tax transparency

Last September G20 leaders moved towards greater transparency to crack down on tax evasion. They promised a “new global standard” to increase the exchange of financial information between countries. Whereas today tax authorities have to chase information from others authorities if and when they suspect foul play, this new standard will require any jurisdiction signing […]

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US$1 million for reforestation missing in Peru

Tracking public money in Peru can feel like chasing smoke and mirrors. The state often keeps a lid on official documents, meaning trails can lead to dead-ends. In this case the information was not missing, but some of it turned out to be false. Until recently, the city of Pajarillo was known for illegal trade […]

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