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Bribery in Nigeria tackled globally, but not at home

Companies caught bribing in nigeria have paid billions in fines, but not in Nigeria. A nigerian NGO tries to find out why. One of the reasons why there are so many foreign bribery cases going on related to Nigeria (see box below), is basically that corruption in Nigeria is deeply entrenched in almost every area […]

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Bribery is bad for business

We ask businesspeople where they lose out to competitors’ corruption. One of the biggest corruption stories in the world this year was the allegation that Walmart paid bribes totalling US$24 million in its Mexican operations. It makes you wonder how many other companies lost out because of those bribes. A new survey gives us some […]

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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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Corruption without borders

Stories of bribery and its impact around the world, from Greece to Mexico. 39 countries are signed up to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, meaning that they have agreed to investigate and prosecute businesses that use corrupt practices when conducting business abroad. We will publish a new report on Thursday showing a rise in prosecutions by […]

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Dealing in the dark: Portugal’s sad defence contracts

On 06 September, Transparency International releases its annual report on enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. Right at the time the European Union is consumed with the debate over the debt crisis and politicians across the EU are busy playing the blame game, an interesting case going on in Portugal helps shed some light on […]

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Better anti-corruption reporting but is it credible?

Scandals such as the revelations of banks misleading regulators on LIBOR are further eroding people’s trust in companies. Two in three Europeans, for example, believe that corruption is part of their country’s business culture. One of steps for companies to restore trust is by publicly reporting on their anti-bribery measures. Once a company has done […]

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Why investors should care about transparency

On July 10, Transparency International issued a report showing that the world’s biggest companies are disclosing more about their measures for preventing corruption, but not so much of their financial data in the countries where they operate. Investors should take note of these findings. Risks associated with corruption can have devastating damaging effects on a […]

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Sunshine on the horizon for the oil, gas and mining cash

Despite heavy lobbying by some of the United States’ most powerful corporations, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken a bold decision in support of transparency. The US Chamber of Commerce claimed that to force US oil, gas and mining companies to reveal details of their foreign payments to natural resources’ host governments […]

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G20 must address financial integrity as corruption surges through major banking

Allegations of insider trading at Nomura, money laundering at HSBC, interest rate manipulation at Barclays – it’s one scandal after another! Some say mega-banks are too complex to manage and control, others blame bad management, still others say the culture is rotten. Corruption abounds. Greed, secrecy, arrogance, lack of a moral compass, and opportunity all […]

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The ugly face of Latvia’s landmarks

If you have ever been to Riga you might have noticed impressive or beautiful squares and buildings. However, aesthetics are only part of the story that makes the history of a building or a place. Riga has numerous landmarks, several of which represent Riga in the popular imagination, which we suspect had irregularities in their […]

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