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U.S. response to the Panama Papers: A step in the right direction but more action is needed

The massive leak dubbed the Panama Papers has given the UK Anti-Corruption Summit on May 12 an unexpected boost. Those coming to the summit, now including the U.S., are lining up to make announcements about the steps they are taking to tackle corruption and specifically financial secrecy. On Thursday the Obama Administration announced a series […]

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SPEAK UP, South Africa: the impact of the Nkandla ruling

In March this year South Africa’s highest court upheld a landmark investigation by the courageous Public Protector Thuli Madonsela that showed how taxpayers’ money had been used to upgrade President Jacob Zuma’s personal residence. This underscored the importance of the role of the Public Protector in holding those in power to account. It is the […]

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THE PANAMA PAPERS AND TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

  Communicators are strong swimmers. We don’t always sprint, but we can handle long distances and the hard swim upstream. The Panama Papers have exposed a global web of secrecy and corruption that hurts all of us. It has also exposed the Chair of our chapter in Chile and that deeply troubled us. He of […]

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Public pressure forces Iceland’s prime minister to step down over Panama Papers

Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson resigned on Tuesday just one day after thousands of people marched in the streets protesting his use of secret bank accounts facilitated by Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm which had as clients Gunnlaugsson and his wife. Iceland was the only country that jailed top financial executives behind bars in […]

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Secret company ownership: a global solution for a global challenge

The way the rich and powerful hide their ill-gotten gains is headline news around the world today. The Panama Papers show everyone how easy it is to set up secret companies that let people avoid taxes and launder money. Kings do it, business tycoons do it, footballers do it, presidents and prime ministers do it.  […]

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Haiti: trying to stay engaged amid corruption and poverty

It is hard to imagine that Haitians will actually go to polls on 27 December to vote in the second round of the presidential and municipal elections. There has been so much talk of electoral fraud, violence and intimidation from the first round in October, ordinary people just don’t know what to believe. On 17 […]

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Bulgarian politics: how to ensure a referendum fails

On Sunday, 25 October 2015, telephones started ringing at 7 am at the offices of Transparency International Bulgaria (TI Bulgaria). A team of eight colleagues was taking calls from concerned citizens. Another two colleagues with legal expertise started preparing complaints about voting irregularities. Welcome to election day, Bulgarian style. 6.8 million Bulgarians have the opportunity […]

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The first step toward creating Slovenia’s legislative footprint

The term “legislative footprint” has become a popular new concept surrounding transparency of the legislative process and supervision of lobbying in public decision-making. But the world has not yet seen a comprehensive, real life, IT-supported legislative footprint in practice. In the beginning of 2015, Transparency International Slovenia launched an innovative project with a vision to combine […]

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Why did Transparency International visit Jordan?

We understand that The Middle East and North Africa finds itself in a very complex situation with major challenges to its stability, security and development. In that context we articulate four key messages to improve the governance indicators for Jordan. These messages are addressed to the government, the civil society organisations and the private sector. […]

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Civil society’s role in the fight against corruption

The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) provides the legal framework that countries use to fight corruption. It dates from 2003 and every two years there is a Conference of States Parties where the signatories — there are now 177 — meet to discuss UNCAC implementation. For the first time at this year’s meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia […]

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