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Showing posts from June, 2015

Ethical Alliance Daily News (26 June 2015)

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United States: US court to hear arguments that Brazil oil giant should stand trial for corruption Published on Jun 26, 2015 11:30 pm     Argentina: Two Argentineans sought by U.S. in FIFA scandal put under house arrest Published on Jun 26, 2015 11:00 pm     Sweden: Fresh bribery claims in Swedish jet scandal Published on Jun 26, 2015 10:30 pm     Turkey: Former mayor in Antalya given 75 years in jail on graft charges Published on Jun 26, 2015 10:00 pm     United Kingdom: Dundee bank manager embezzled £90,000 from own branch Published on Jun 26, 2015 09:30 pm     Russia: Trust Bank’s CFO arrested on suspicion of embezzlement Published on Jun 26, 2015 09:00 pm     Argentina: Top Argentine Appeals Court Confirms Bribery Case Against VP Published on Jun 26, 2015 08:30 pm     China: Chinese sports official, national Olympic committee member, under investigation for alleged corruption Published on Jun 26, 2015 08:00 pm     Spain: Police

Daily Corruption News from Transparency International (26 June 2015)

26 June 2015 Today's top story Global: Fifa president Sepp Blatter: 'I did not resign' following corruption scandal International Business Times Sepp Blatter has fuelled speculation he will not stand down as Fifa president after insisting he has not resigned as head of the footballing body. More news Albania: Albania makes headway in battle to beat corruption and improve its image The Guardian Argentina: Argentina's vice-president to stand trial on bribery and conflict of i

[ap-intact] INFO: Official Secrets Act necessary sometimes - Malaysian anti-graft agency

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA) is necessary to ensure that certain classified information does not cause Putrajaya “embarrassment or difficulties.” Read the story by Mayuri Mei Lin, in Malay Mail Online. http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/osa-necessary-sometimes-to-avoid-government-embarrassment-macc-says

[ap-intact] COMMENTARY: Nepal’s ‘Donor Dilemma’

“Donations for rescue and relief [in Nepal] seem to be pouring in from all over the world to different I/NGOs but the [Prime Minister's] Fund has only received a meagre amount. The repeated claims by the authority of built-in checks and balances in utilising the fund assured no one: not the citizens, not the Nepali diaspora, not the international community.Indeed, if the past is any indication, the concern that cash given to the government may be misused is completely understandable.” Read the op-ed by Ram C Acharya, in eKantipur. http://www.ekantipur.com/2015/06/15/oped/donor-dilemma/406586.html

[ap-intact] COMMENTARY: The Jakarta Statement on Principles for Anti-Corruption Agencies -- A Critique

“As an operational document and guide to institutional design, I have to say I found the Jakarta Statement to be mostly unhelpful and/or simplistic. I want to be cautious in how I phrase this, because I am sympathetic to and respectful of the motivation behind the Jakarta Statement, and I don’t have enough of a sense of the nuances of international politics and norm diffusion to be able to evaluate its actual impact on the world. But taking it on its own terms as a set of institutional principles and guidelines, I was disappointed. I think the international community can and should do better when outlining the basic principles and objectives for ACAs. In the spirit of playing Devil’s Advocate, in the hopes of stimulating some critical debate on this critical issue, let me lay out my critique of the Jakarta Statement as it currently stands.” Read the full post by Matthew Stephenson, in the Global Anticorruption Blog.  http://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2015/06/23/the-jakarta-statement-

[ap-intact] INFO: China's graft watchdog releases whistleblowing app

The Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has developed a new app to tackle the "sifeng" or "Four Decadent Customs"–referring to formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and waste–as part of its ongoing anti-corruption campaign, reports our Chinese-language sister paper Want Daily. Read the story in Want China Times. http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150621000036&cid=1103

[ap-intact] INFO: Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (27 June 2015) – Tonga, Fiji, PNG, Palau, Nauru

[Facilitator’s note: Thank you to Annika Wythes, Luisa Senibulu, and Samita Singh of the joint UNDP-UNODC Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Project for sharing these updates.] Tonga: United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Awareness Training for Media . Corruption is a destructive phenomenon across the world, including in the Pacific Islands, and threatens the region’s sustainable development. http://parliament.gov.to/media-centre/latest-news/latest-news-in-english/363-united-nation-convention-against-corruption-uncac-awareness-training-for-tonga-media Fiji: Four sentenced. The High Court has sentenced four men found guilty of a 3 million dollar scam at the former Department of National Roads. http://www.fbc.com.fj/fiji/30595/bribery Corruption claims. No allegations of corruption raised in the Auditor-General's report will be considered out-of-date by the Public Accounts Committee. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=310994 FICAC says complaints were not submitted

[ap-intact] INFO: Anti-corruption brew in Thailand — UNDP opens first “Refuse To Be Corrupt” café for Thai youth

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Thailand’s first Thai Youth Anti-Corruption Network “Refuse To Be Corrupt” café opened on 8 June 2015 at Ubon Ratchanthani University in the northeast of Thailand. The project is a partnership between United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), True Coffee, Anti-corruption Organisation of Thailand, Khon Kaen University, and Ubon Ratchathani University. The partnership provides students with professional knowledge and means to set up and run the cafés, which serve as active communities for the students to tackle the enemy of Thai society: Corruption. In Thailand, corruption is a serious and complex issue, affecting many strands of Thai society. “The future must not belong to the corrupt few who steal the country’s resources”, said Luc Stevens, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Thailand. “The future of Thailand must be won by educated youth who seek transparency, accountability and justice. This is a vision we will support.” A second “R

[ap-intact] INFO: Asia-Pacific workers wary of unethical employers

Four in every five jobseekers in Asia-Pacific, particularly Singapore, would be unwilling to work for companies involved in bribery and corruption, an Ernst & Young survey shows. Read the story in Enterprise Innovation. http://enterpriseinnovation.net/article/workers-wary-ethical-employers-1846643167

[ap-intact] INFO: Team allows active police generals to lead Indonesian anti-corruption agency

Amid concerns of police maneuvers to undermine the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), a team tasked with selecting the antigraft body’s leadership has welcomed the National Police’s move to propose two active generals and one retired officer to join selection process. Read the story by Haeril Halim, in The Jakarta Post. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/16/team-allows-active-police-generals-lead-kpk.html

WSJ - Corruption Currents: Bank of China to Cooperate in Italy Probe (24 June 2015)

http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2015/06/24/corruption-currents-bank-of-china-to-cooperate-in-italy-probe/

Daily Corruption News from Transparency International (25 June 2015)

25 June 2015 Today's top story Global: 'How much?' Why bribes to people smugglers could revive a dying trade The Guardian Australia has been accused of paying a boat crew to turn back a vessel laden with asylum seekers. Near the struggling fishing port where the boat reportedly began its journey, the prospect of easy money is enticing. More news Global: US court to hear arguments that Brazil oil giant should stand trial for corruption The Guardian China: China says getting goo

The Ethical Alliance Daily (25 June 2015)

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Switzerland: Julius Baer shares hit record high on U.S. tax probe news Published on Jun 25, 2015 11:30 pm     United States: U.S. SEC and JPMorgan in talks to settle probe regarding product steering: WSJ Published on Jun 25, 2015 11:00 pm     United Kingdom: Accountancy watchdog opens probe of KPMG over BNY Mellon audit Published on Jun 25, 2015 10:30 pm     Australia: Australian govt faces inquiry into “bribe” payments Published on Jun 25, 2015 10:00 pm     United States: SEC Freezes Assets of China-Based Trader for Suspicious Trades on Qihoo Published on Jun 25, 2015 09:30 pm     Italy: Italian prosecutor seeks five years for Berlusconi in bribery case Published on Jun 25, 2015 09:00 pm     Romania: Romania PM’s ally probed in frying pans-for-votes bribery case Published on Jun 25, 2015 08:30 pm     Singapore: Singaporean fugitive Phey Yew Kok turns himself in to police after 36 years on the run Published on Jun 25, 2015 08:00 pm