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United States: Goodyear Tire to pay $16M to settle bribery charges Published on Feb 25, 2015 11:30 pm     Switzerland: FIFA clears top official over World Cup corruption claims Published on Feb 25, 2015 11:15 pm     United Kingdom: UK Treasury official plans new criminal offence for tax evasion ‘facilitators’ Published on Feb 25, 2015 11:00 pm     United States: U.S. Probes Capital One for Possible Money Laundering Published on Feb 25, 2015 10:30 pm     Brazil: Former Petrobras executive charged with taking bribes Published on Feb 25, 2015 10:00 pm     United States: DOE hiring tech firm linked to kickback scheme Published on Feb 25, 2015 09:30 pm     Italy: Italy to tax illicit gains in MOSE corruption case Published on Feb 25, 2015 09:00 pm     Ukraine: Yatsenyuk suspends tax agency head amid corruption accusations Published on Feb 25, 2015 08:30 pm     ...

Today's top story Global: Goodyear agrees to settle bribery case New York Times Goodyear, one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers, has agreed to pay more than $16 million to settle charges that it violated federal antibribery laws tied to tire sales by its subsidiaries in Kenya and Angola. More news Global: Unions, charity accuse McDonald's of avoiding $1.1 billion in tax Reuters Global: Former Petrobras executive charged with taking bribes Reuters Global: Fifa executive member Michel D'Hooghe cleared of corruption BBC Bangladesh: Bangladesh court issues arrest warrant fo...

Investigators prefer to turn a blind eye to corruption crimes at the level of European funds, which fuels further criminal activity, believes Vladimir Katin, an analyst from the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Read more: http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150224/1018674881.html#ixzz3SrSPpmtH

"Developing the knowledge required for good policymaking can be expensive, time-consuming, and intellectually challenging.  At the same time, policymakers are often under pressure to act; the problem is urgent; the public demands a solution, and they want to address the nation’s ills, or at least appear to address them, quickly.  So policy is made on the basis of incomplete data, hunches, intuition, and plain guesswork. The unfortunate result...is almost always a policy failure." Read more: http://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2015/02/25/anticorruption-policymaking-the-critical-role-of-information/

"As regular readers of this blog know, I’ve been (figuratively) pounding my fists on the table for a while now about various misuses and misinterpretations of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), particularly in the context of misleading year-to-year comparisons (see here , here , here , here , here , and here ). Perhaps I’m overemphasizing a relatively small issue, but it seems that the problem just won’t go away." Read more: http://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2015/02/24/more-flagrant-abuse-of-cpi-numbers-by-people-and-outlets-that-should-know-better/#more-3245

[Facilitator's note: Shared by Mat Tromme via Twitter.] Vietnam is almost ready to launch a new reward program for whistleblowers, promising to pay a lot more to insiders who have taken huge risks to report on wrongdoings. According to a new draft circular, up to VND5 billion (nearly US$235,000) and a Bravery Order shall be awarded to whistleblowers who have suffered very serious injuries as a result of denouncing major cases of corruption. Read the story in Bao Moi. http://en.baomoi.com/Info/Vietnam-plans-to-dole-out-largest-rewards-ever-for-whistleblowers/3/527252.epi

At a time when the Supreme Court is considering strengthening the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) by attaching independent investigators to it, the anti-corruption ombudsman has all but admitted failing to tackle graft in central and state government offices. A 130-page affidavit filed in the apex court by the CVC on how it dealt with 3,634 complaints brought to it by whistleblowers between January 2007 and September 2014 from all over India, holds some disappointing figures. Read the story by Harish V Nair, in Mail Online India. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2964289/Toothless-CVC-leaves-India-s-whistleblowers-exposed-report-shows.html

The textbook board of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has incorporated some verses of the holy Quran, Hadith and wise sayings on the inner titles of the school books to discourage corruption and promote harmony in the society, media reported. The move is aimed at scaling up awareness about the evil of corruption in society. Read the story in Business Standard. http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/pakistan-school-books-to-have-quranic-verses-against-corruption-115022300826_1.html

[Facilitator's note: Thank you to Shabnam Siddiqui, Centre of Excellence for Transparency and Ethics in Business, UN Global Compact Network India, for sharing this information.] Dear colleagues, Global Compact Network India's Collective Action Project (India) launched its final publication titled “Business Case for Anticorruption in India: Principles, Economics and Application of Transparency Tools” in Mumbai on February 06, 2015. This book is the third and final publication of the Collective Action Project (CAP) India completing the trilogy of books on anticorruption work vis-à-vis business in India. The first book titled “Raising the Bar through Collective Action”, captured the anti-graft polices practiced by companies. The second book “Understanding the Demand and Supply Equations of Corruption and Fraud” showcased the fraud and bribery scenario in India for a period of fifteen years along with the tools available to counter graft. The third and final publication Business Ca...

Philippine President Benigno S. C. Aquino III issued an executive order (EO) establishing a national corruption prevention program, a move to sustain the administration's efforts to curb graft. Under EO 176, the President institutionalized the Integrity Management Program (IMP) as the national corruption prevention program in all government departments, bureaus, offices, agencies, including government-owned and -controlled corporations, government financial institutions, state colleges and universities, and local government units through the establishment of Integrity Management Systems (IMS). Read the story by Imee Charlee C. Delavin, in BusinessWorld Online. http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=new-executive-order-establishes-national-corruption-prevention-program&id=103140

[Facilitator’s note: Thank you to Samirullah Popalzai, Advocacy Officer, Integrity Watch Afghanistan, for sharing this information.] Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA) organized a conference on the Kabul Bank corruption case on Wednesday [25 Feb 2015] at the Park Star Hotel in Kabul. The conference focused on the progress and challenges of the government to recover the Kabul Bank's assets and prosecute the felons. Participants invited included representatives of parliament, government, national and international organizations, academia, civil society and media. For more information, please contact Mr. Samirullah Popalzai at Samirullah.popalzai@iwaweb.org or Samirullah.popalzai@gmail.com. To know more about the Kabul Bank case, see: “Judge toughens jail terms in Kabul Bank scandal, freezes Karzai brother's assets”, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/11/us-afghanistan-bank-idUSKCN0IV1X020141111

"Over the past decade, Indonesia was so determined to erase the tainted legacy of Suharto, the strongman forced to resign in 1998, that it established one of the world’s more effective anticorruption agencies. Now the future of that agency, the Corruption Eradication Commission, known as the K.P.K., is under serious threat in a standoff with the police and President Joko Widodo." Read the New York Times editorial by Carol Giacomo. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/opinion/indonesias-corruption-fighters-in-the-fight-of-their-lives.html?_r=0

The Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) is calling on parliamentarians throughout the world to make oversight of the defence and security sectors a priority in their fight against corruption and ensure that there is a justifiable balance between the need for secrecy and the need for transparency. The call is reflected in GOPAC’s position paper on oversight of the defence and security sectors, "Oversight is the Continuation of Democracy by Other Means", launched today [23 Feb 2015]. Read GOPAC's position paper: http://gopacnetwork.org/Docs/PositionPapers/PP_GTFPO_Defence_EN_Web.pdf

Many of the countries that struggle to finance their basic development needs such as schools, hospitals, and infrastructure might have easier access to much larger development budgets if they could prevent financial resources from illicitly flowing out of their countries. “Coming to Grips with Illicit Financial Flows in Asia-Pacific”, a groundbreaking study by Global Financial Integrity, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime highlights the lack of attention to this issue in the development agenda. Domestic revenues critical for development, often bigger than the official development assistance received by aid-dependent countries, are diverted from these countries due to illicit financial flows. And in middle-income countries where financing for development is not an issue, activities fuelling these flows such as corruption, organised crime, and drug smuggling undermine governance, rule of law, and security. The problem is particularl...

Philippine policymakers need to redouble their effort in tackling corruption and the perceived lack of the rule of law to ensure that the potency of recent economic reforms will not be diluted. Terry Miller, executive director of US think tank Heritage Foundation said the Philippine economy would develop by a faster rate by breaking up monopolies and welcoming more foreign firms. Read the story by Paolo Montecillo, in Philippine Daily Inquirer. http://business.inquirer.net/187106/ph-urged-to-shore-up-gains

The NDA government, which came riding on a huge anti-corruption wave wiping out Congress last year, has dropped crucial amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act that would have ensured India ratifying the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). Read the story by Pradeep Thakur, in The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Amendments-to-anti-graft-law-soft-on-private-sector-fall-short-of-UN-convention/articleshow/46293658.cms

China is turning its attention to highlighting the hidden ways in which officials are paid bribes, with plans to regulate prepaid gift cards as part of its anti-corruption campaign.  People's Daily said the new channels for bribery include electronic gift cards, virtual red envelopes with realmoney and e-commerce websites, which have put an "invisibility cloak" over gift card corruption Read the story by Su Zhou (China Daily/ANN), in The Jakarta Post. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/20/china-designs-policies-halt-hidden-bribes.html

According to IRNA, Iran’s official news agency, the country’s judicial chief, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani, said new corruption cases had been filed. “One of these cases involves a person being loaned a grant worth 65 trillion Iran rials (about $2 billion),” said Larijani, adding that the loan had been granted by a private bank and was not backed by the necessary guarantee. Read the story in News Time Africa. http://www.newstimeafrica.com/archives/37733

Ever since the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) started its bid to impeach former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the anti-graft agency's spokesman and commissioner, Vicha Mahakun, has faced accusations of political bias. Mr Vicha has repeatedly backed the NACC's evidence against Ms Yingluck, and the self-assured graft-buster claims he is setting new standards of integrity for future leaders. Read the story by Ariane Kupferman-Sutthavong, in Bangkok Post. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/476830/vicha-plots-steady-course-for-nacc

"Since Myanmar's political transition began some years ago, the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) has started an ambitious plan of reform in an effort to transform itself into a more professional institution… But the MPF still faces significant reputational problems in Myanmar, with a recent Asia Foundation survey suggesting the public holds the Force in low regard. This is likely due in part to police corruption." Read the story by Rhys Thompson, in The Interpreter. http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2015/02/18/corruption-police-reform-Myanmar.aspx?COLLCC=2063082225&

WSJ - Corruption Currents: Detained Romanian Ex-Minister Seeks Prison Decorations (19 Feb 2015). By Samuel Rubenfeld. http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2015/02/19/corruption-currents-detained-romanian-ex-minister-seeks-prison-decorations/

[Facilitator’s note: Thank you to Annika Wythes, Luisa Senibulu, and Samita Singh of the joint UNDP-UNODC Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Project, for these updates.] Pacific youth advocate against corruption. Over 40 youth representatives from 15 Pacific Islands countries will gather in Nadi, Fiji, on Sunday [22 Feb] for the "Pacific Youth Forum Against Corruption" to discuss ways to address corruption in the region. http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/266471/pacific-youth-advocate-against-corruption Fiji: I won't tolerate corruption, says Bainimarama. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says he will not tolerate any corruption whatsoever at the national level nor at the provincial and district levels. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=295598 Fiji: FRCA confiscates 3 cartons of white substance. The Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority has confiscated three cartons of white substance suspected to be testosterone enanthate, which is an anabolic androge...

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has dropped an unpopular general for the post of police chief and suspended two leaders in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in a highly anticipated move that many hope will ease a bitter stand-off between the country’s main law enforcement agencies - the police and the KPK. Read the story by Zubaidah Nazeer, in The Straits Times. http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/indonesias-president-jokowi-drops-budi-gunawan-police-chief-nominee-

[Thank you to UNDP's Global Anti-corruption Initiative (GAIN) for sharing this information.] The international community’s mission in Afghanistan was undermined by a slow response to corruption threats, a report issued today (17 February) by Transparency International UK’s Defence & Security Programme (TI-DSP) has found. Corruption damaged the integrity and sustainability of Afghan national institutions, sapped the confidence of Afghan society in the international community and hampered capacity-building efforts. Those efforts also failed to adequately deter the activities of corrupt actors. The report, Corruption: lessons from the international mission in Afghanistan, is based on detailed interviews with 75 people involved in the Afghanistan mission, including members of the international community and Afghan nationals. The report identifies nine reasons the international community was slow to develop a response to corruption. Read the story in Transparency International's...

Former executive Dinesh S. Thakur filed a confidential whistleblower complaint in the United States against Ranbaxy, India’s largest generic drugs manufacturer and supplier to the US market, after discovering that the company was falsifying drug data and violating good manufacturing and laboratory practices. He worked with authorities for 8 years before Ranbaxy pleaded guilty to multiple federal criminal felonies and agreed to pay $500 million in fines, forfeitures, and penalties. In this interview with adb.org, website of the Asian Development Bank, Thakur talks about his experience in fighting fraud and corruption, and shares ideas on how these may be prevented. Read the story in adb.org. http://www.adb.org/news/features/guardians-public-trust-reporting-corruption?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alerts

Indonesian police named the head of the anti-graft agency a suspect in a corruption case on Tuesday [17 Feb], the latest twist in a tit-for-tat feud between the rival organisations that has presented the new president with his biggest challenge to date. Read the story by Gayatri Suroyo and Fransiska Nangoy, in Reuters. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/02/17/uk-indonesia-corruption-idUKKBN0LL05R20150217

Feb 18, 2015 -- Nigeria's Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), said on Wednesday that it had commenced collaboration with Nigerian universities to adopt mandatory anti-corruption programme for first year students. Mr Ekpo Nta, the Chairman of the Commission, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.   Read more: http://leadership.ng/news/412469/icpc-urges-mandatory-anti-corruption-programme-in-universities

By Stephen Rwembeho The United Nations is committed to ensuring a broad-based consultative process in Rwanda to generate debate and civil society views to enhance sustainable development. Lamin Manneh, the UN resident coordinator, while addressing a group of civil society leaders attending a two-day training in Rwamagana District, said civil society should seek to be a valuable partner in development rather than to be seen as an opponent. Read more: http://allafrica.com/stories/201502190119.html

An overhaul to the election system for co-operatives in agriculture, fisheries, livestock and forestry was supposed to root out the rampant bribery of the past. But a little more than a month before all 1,328 cooperatives hold leadership elections on March 11, candidates are each spreading tens of millions of won to cooperative members for their votes. And some potential contenders have been bribed not to run by their rivals. Read the story in Korea JoongAng Daily. http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3000391&cloc=joongangdaily|home|newslist1

More than 63,000 corruption complaints were received by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in 2014, a rise of 79 percent over the preceding year. The anti-corruption watchdog said it received 63,288 complaints last year as against 35,332 in 2013. These complaints include those filed by whistleblowers and anonymous complainants. Read the story in Zee News. http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/79-percent-rise-in-graft-complaints-to-cvc-crosses-63k-mark-in-2014_1546810.html

There are 34 hurdles Myanmar needs to overcome to achieve sustained economic growth, the greatest of which is corruption, according to reports compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and Myanmar Business Survey. Read the story in Eleven Myanmar. http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8981:corruption-stunts-myanmar-s-economic-potential&catid=33:business&Itemid=356

Today's top story Brazil : The $100m man’s guide to Brazilian graft Financial Times One October night in 2011 in Milan, Italy, a group of four Brazilian businessmen linked to Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil operator, sat down for dinner with the manager of a Swiss bank, Banque Cramer. On the menu for the Brazilians was allegedly a plan to create one of the most ambitious corruption schemes their country had seen. More news Global : HSBC: five questions for a bank that grew too big to control The Guardian Global : Rolls-Royce says it does not tolerate improper business BBC Brazil : Samb...

13 February 2015 Today's top story India : AAP to bring back anti-corruption hotline, Lokpal Bill in House’s second sitting The Indian Express In a test of Delhi’s unique ties with the Centre, the new AAP government will, within weeks of assuming power on February 14, introduce the Lokpal Bill in the assembly. The anti-corruption hotline will also be revived within days. ...

Switzerland: HSBC chiefs to face MPs’ scrutiny United Kingdom: SFO faces £6m legal bill as another fraud case is thrown out United Kingdom: Money-Laundering Link to Luxury Homes Probed by U.K. United Kingdom: Eastbourne company director jailed for foreign bribes United Kingdom: Rolls-Royce accused in Petrobras scandal United States: Corruption probe closes in on Oregon governor United States: Oregon governor John Kitzhaber to resign over ‘surreal’ corruption scandal United States: Nissan employee who ran kickback scheme gets 5 years United States: Investment adviser imprisoned for fraud tied to kickbacks, horse racing United States: Two J. P. Morgan Executives Connected to Asia Hiring Probe Pushed Out Italy: Italian Prosecutors Seek Corruption Charges Against Former Eni CEO Greece: Greece is trying to recover $2.8 billion through a ruthless crackdown on tax evasion Ukraine: Fight In Ukrainian Parliament Spills Blood As Anti-Corruption Bill Vote Turns Nasty ...

Vietnam has witnessed a drain in foreign currencies over the years, with one expert saying that $33 billion flowed out of the country between 2008 and 2013 because of illegal transfer of funds and embezzlement. Dr. Vu Quang Viet, a former high-ranking United Nations’ specialist, was quoted in a local newspaper as saying that the figure has shocked government officials and economists. Read the story in Customs Today. http://customstoday.com.pk/33-billion-flows-out-of-vietnam-between-2008-and-2013/

Corrupt cops who live beyond their means will no longer be able to mask their lavish wealth. An asset profiling system to be introduced soon would determine how much assets Malaysia's police personnel are expected to have, based on their rank and years of service. Read the story by Farik Zolkepli and Nadirah H. Rodzi/The Star/Asia News Network, in Asia One. http://news.asiaone.com/news/malaysia/asset-profiling-nab-corrupt-cops

The current standoff between the National Police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has raised concerns among international observers at the country’s efforts to fight corruption. Tony Kwok, former commissioner of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), interviewed in Jakarta recently, shared stories about a similar conflict between the ICAC and the Hong Kong police back in 1977. Read excerpts of the interview by Haeril Halim, in The Jakarta Post. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/14/jokowi-has-golden-opportunity-build-better-kpk-police.html See also: "Indonesia faces a crossroads in corruption battle". http://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2015/02/16/indonesia-faces-a-crossroads-in-corruption-battle/

By Ashley Kirk "The Financial Secrecy Index , which is completed by the Tax Justice Network and ranks the world's 82 largest tax havens, is based on two factors - a territory's financial secrecy score, and its share of the global market for offshore financial services. "The list places Switzerland top, followed by Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands and Singapore. "Samoa is the most secretive state on the list, with a score of 88 out of 100. This is based on fifteen factors , including banking secrecy and company ownership records. Samoa accounts, however, for less than one per cent of the global market for offshore financial services." Read more in City A.M.: http://www.cityam.com/209310/mapped-worlds-biggest-tax-havens

By Samuel Rubenfeld. http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2015/02/13/corruption-currents-bong-sales-4-money-laundering/

http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/02/16/corruption-inequality-remain-key-issues-in-central-americas-latest-election-cycle