A growing call from business for company ownership transparency

22 September 2016 in Financial Integrity, Private sector

With the release of its latest Economic Contribution and Payments to Governments Report today, BHP Billiton becomes the latest in a growing list of companies and business leaders highlighting the importance of company ownership transparency, and starting to walk the talk by being transparent about elements of their own company structures, entities and ownership. The […]

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Anti-corruption and happiness go hand in hand

20 September 2016 in Asset recovery, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Europe and Central Asia

There is a clear link between the level of corruption in a country and people’s attitude to corruption. If you shrug your shoulders and accept there’s little to be done, corruption remains high and you are unhappy. If corruption makes you angry and you do something constructive about it, like pass laws and prosecute the […]

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Does Ukraine merit a new handout?

15 September 2016 in Asset recovery, Civil society, Cost of Corruption, Europe and Central Asia, Politics and government

Yesterday the International Monetary Fund approved a further bailout of more than US$1 billion for Ukraine, a country trying to deal with an aggressive eastern neighbour and a ruling elite compromised by corruption. If the decision to resume payments was based on the normal loan conditions, the outcome would have been an obvious no. Ukrainian […]

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McDonnell walks. Reforms needed

12 September 2016 in Accountability, Americas, Lobbying, Politics and government

The Justice Department on September 8 announced that it is dropping its corruption case against former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen. Earlier this year, the US Supreme Court decided to throw out McDonnell’s conviction on the grounds that jurors had been provided an erroneous definition of “official act.” The Court’s unanimous decision […]

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Three things to highlight from G20’s new effort on fighting corruption

7 September 2016 in Anti-corruption Conventions

We’re not there yet. As the limos leave Hanghzou and life gets back to normal in a city quarantined for the G20 summit, the leaders of the G20 countries are taking home a new set of prescriptions for dealing with the very real global pandemic: corruption. A fourth Anti-Corruption Action Plan to cover 2017-2018 is […]

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The role of the press at the Olympic Games: a first-hand account

5 September 2016 in Access to information, Sport

With their hands up in the air, ministers, four-star generals and International Olympic Commission (IOC) officials danced to some of the most famous samba tunes at the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Rio last month. While carnival was taking over the Maracanã Stadium and the entire world was watching the party, politicians hugged each […]

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Korean companies get ‘F’ grade in voluntary information disclosure

1 September 2016 in Access to information, Accountability, Asia Pacific, Private sector

The results of the Korean Transparency in Corporate Reporting survey shows that the biggest 50 companies in Korea still need to disclose a lot more information on a voluntary basis if they want to show they really want to increase their transparency and fight corruption. Companies that disclose information about how they set themselves up, […]

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Reconstruction in Italy: We need transparency and monitoring activities 

31 August 2016 in Accountability, Civil society, Europe and Central Asia, European Union

It’s true, “Italians do their best in moments of emergency.” Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said it after the earthquake that devastated central Italy on 24 August. Italy’s President echoed the Prime Minister and we all tell it to ourselves every time that the images remind us that we are a country that rolls up […]

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Let’s pick up the slow pace of change in Panama

26 August 2016 in Americas, beneficial ownership

The recent moves by the Panamanian government to clean up its image in the wake of the Panama Papers scandal may eventually lead to a more transparency and accountable financial sector.   But only if the pressure is kept on the Panamanian government. The Panama Papers showed how one Panamanian law firm was able to set […]

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Keeping the Olympic flame alive

22 August 2016 in Sport

At midnight on 4 August I looked out of my hotel room and saw a crowd of jubilant people ushering the Olympic flame down Ipanema beach. There was a party mood, no protests, just joy that the Olympics really had come to Rio. That is what the Olympics should bring: joy. And for the following […]

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