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COMMENTARY: NGOs, Like Ceasar’s Wife, Should Be Above Suspicion - Why Indian Nonprofits Need To Take Transparency More Seriously "When nonprofits, activists, and their supporters accuse the [Indian] government of applying a double standard, they have a point. Yet, even as we rightly protest the government’s politically motivated vendetta against civil society, it is equally important for India’s non-profits to take a good hard look in the mirror...the members of India’s vibrant non-profit sector must be sure that they are applying to themselves the same high standards of transparency and accountability that they advocate in the public sphere. Too often, they fall short." Read the post by Nayana RenuKumar, in the Global Anticorruption Blog. http://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2016/02/22/ngos-like-ceasars-wife-should-be-above-suspicion-why-indian-nonprofits-need-to-take-transparency-more-seriously/ NOTE: If this link fails to load, copy the link and paste into your brows...

COMMENTARY: The missing piece in Southeast Asia's fight against corruption "The Asean Economy Community and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deals promise to be game changers in Southeast Asia – from increasing investments to stamping out corruption. But effective enforcement of anti-corruption laws is still lacking in the region, and this spells challenges for business." Read the op-ed by Jean Chua, in Eco-Business. http://www.eco-business.com/news/the-missing-piece-in-the-fight-against-corruption/ NOTE: If this link fails to load, copy the link and paste into your browser's address or URL bar. INFO: Nepal anti-graft agency files charges over quake relief procurements As tens of thousands of people in Kathmandu spent their nights under makeshift shelters in the weeks after the April 25 earthquake, a handful of government officials were engaged in serious irregularities, according to investigations carried out by the Commission for Investigation of...

INFO: Federal anti-corruption agency won't work in Australia, expert warns An international anti-corruption expert has cautioned against moves to establish a federal ICAC-style body in Australia, saying proponents don’t even know what problem they are trying to solve. Read the story by Mark Coultan, in The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/federal-icac-would-not-work-anticorruption-expert-warns/news-story/b70f64282a06af6beed413446a0ef451  (might require registration) INFO: Statistics agency finds Indonesian women more tolerant of corruption than men Indonesia's Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said that women are still more tolerant of corruption than men, based on the BPS’ annual anticorruption attitudes index (IPAK). Read the story by Hans Nicholas Jong, in The Jakarta Post. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/02/23/women-more-tolerant-corruption-bps-report.html INFO: Serious Fraud Office to investigate Auckland Airport's missing ...

INFO: China military sets up corruption hotline The Chinese military has set up a hotline and a mailbox for people to report corruption and other misconduct, according to the Discipline Inspection Commission under the Central Military Commission. Read the story by Zhao Lei, in China Daily USA. http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-02/16/content_23504381.htm INFO: 'Evidence' allegedly links Maldives ' graft embattled govt to $1.5 bln cash import Allegations of mass corruption and embezzlement surrounding the government intensified after documents linking top state officials to USD1.5 billion cash brought in from the Middle East were leaked to local media. Read the story by Mohamed Visham, in Haveeru. http://www.haveeru.com.mv/president_yamin/66417 COMMENTARY: An [ Indian ] economist’s radical idea for lowering petty corruption "According to India’s main anti-bribery law, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, bribe-taking and bribe-giving ar...

INFO:   Malaysian   anti-graft agency can only probe money-laundering activities involving corruption, official says An official of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said the agency can only investigate suspected money-laundering activities involving clear elements of corruption, highlighting the body’s limitations in what it can and cannot look into. Read the story in The Malay Mail.   http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/macc-can-only-probe-money-laundering-activities-involving-corruption-offici COMMENTARY: Is Sunlight Really a Good Disinfectant? The Equivocal Evidence on Freedom of Information   Laws and Corruption "I count myself firmly in the camp of those who tend to believe that FOI laws are useful anticorruption tools, especially given the strong evidence that citizen and media access to government information can indeed help reduce corruption and hold officials accountable. … And because of this, I would expect the eviden...

INFO: Arrests reveal judicial 'Mafia' according to Indonesia anti-graft experts The recent arrest of a Supreme Court official in a sting operation from the antigraft agency has revealed corrupt and mafia practices within the country's judicial system, experts said. Read the story in Jakarta Globe. http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/arrests-reveal-judicial-mafia-antigraft-experts/ INFO: In fighting corruption, opening up public documents not enough, says Philippine report Although all 1,675 local government units in the Philippines received the Seal of Good Local Governance in 2014 for opening up public documents via online posting, this is not enough to ensure that the country is winning the war against corruption, according to a report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Read the story by Veronica Pulumbarit, in GMA News. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/554882/news/nation/in-fighting-corruption-opening-up-public-documents-not-eno...

INFO: In India , tech-savvy young more likely to lodge bribery complaints Senior officers of the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said majority of the people who complained to the ACB in 2015 about being asked for a bribe by government officials were below 35 years old, indicating a direct link between facilities like mobile apps, introduced by the ACB last year, and young people approaching the ACB with complaints. Read the story by Mohamed Thaver, in The Indian Express. http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/acb-48-bribery-complaints-against-govt-officials-lodged-by-people-aged-below-35-yrs/ COMMENTARY: USAID and corruption World Policy Journal recently sat down with Ken Barden, financial crime specialist and senior anticorruption and good governance advisor with the Governance and Rule of Law Team at USAID, to discuss recent trends and anti-corruption measures. Read the interview in World Policy Blog. http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2016/02/...

http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2016/02/17/corruption-currents-whistleblowers-allege-u-s-military-officials-skewed-isis-reports/

http://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2016/02/18/anticorruption-bibliography-february-2016-update/

18 February 2016 Today's top story Uganda: Uganda election: Ruling party accused of bribery, intimidation and terrorisation ahead of vote International Business Times UK Uganda's ruling party, the National Resistance Movement, has been bribing and intimidating members of the public to support incumbent president Yoweri Museveni in the run-up to the 18 February presidential elections, an electoral observer told IBTimes UK . More news Global: Bilal Erdogan is under investigation by the Italian authorities over a money laundering case. New Europe Global: Papa Massata Diack interrogated by police in Senegal for seven hours Associated Press Global: Tunisie: Swatch intente un procès à I Watch....

Italy: 21 arrested in northern Italy for corruption in health system Published on Feb 18, 2016 11:00 pm     World: Corruption falters as investors, journalists and voters take action Published on Feb 18, 2016 10:30 pm     South America: Petrobras, Martinelli and a Dominican legislator top global corruption list Published on Feb 18, 2016 10:00 pm     Nigeria: Diezani accused of approving $24bn crude swap without contract Published on Feb 18, 2016 09:30 pm     Brazil: Brazil’s Supreme Court charges lower chamber president with corruption Published on Feb 18, 2016 08:00 pm     Saudi Arabia: Government accused of ‘corruption’ over the Saudi sheep deal Published on Feb 18, 2016 07:30 pm     United States: SEC says analyst secretly told hedge funds ‘sell’ while officially saying ‘buy’ Published on Feb 18, 2016 07:00 pm     Equatorial Guinea: Wanted by U.S.: The Stolen Millions...

C orruption is a global scourge, sometimes becoming so deeply ingrained in countries that combating it seems impossible. In January, Transparency International released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, noting that the problem “remains a blight around the world.” Read more in The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/17/corruption-falters-as-investors-journalists-and-voters-take-action

COMMENTARY: Talking Policy - Sarah Chayes on Corruption World Policy Journal  interviewed security expert Sarah Chayes, author of  Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security , and a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program and the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment, to discuss her theory about the cause of international geopolitical conflicts. Read the interview, in World Policy Blog. http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2016/02/12/talking-policy-sarah-chayes-corruption COMMENTARY: Vietnam’s uphill battle against corruption "One thing is clear: Public trust in the [Communist Party of Vietnam]'s anti-corruption regime is waning. In response to voters concerns about pervasive corruption, [Party secretary-general Nguyen Phu Trong] said that ‘we catch mice but do not break the vase’. This phrasing emphasised his view that it is important to maintain unity within the Party and social stability throughout Vietnam’s anti-cor...

INFO:  Thailand  anti-corruption group calls for loss of privileges for corrupt lawmakers Advocacy group Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand has offered several suggestions to increase accountability among MPs and senators found guilty of corruption, including: -- Immediate end to parliamentary protection so that they can be arrested even when parliament is in session; -- Immediate public disclosure of their respective annual budgets; and, -- A prohibition from re-allocating any unused fiscal budget to support their own agenda. Read the National News Bureau of Thailand story, in Thai Visa News.  http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/anti-corruption-group-calls-for-losss-of-privileges-for-corrupt-mps-senators/130624/ COMMENTARY: Graft raises cost of doing business in Bangladesh "Corruption, including bribery, raises the costs and risks of doing business. By some estimates, off-the-record payments by firms may result in an annual reduction of two to thre...

17 February 2016 Today's top story USA:  Tech company PTC to pay $28 million to resolve U.S. bribery probes Reuters Two units of Massachusetts-based software company PTC Inc will pay a total of $28 million to resolve probes into whether they gave more than $1 million in recreational travel to officials from China, two U.S. government agencies said  on Tuesday . More news Global:  Petrobras, Martinelli and a Dominican legislator top global corruption list Latin Correspondent  (TI mention) Global:  Spanish police raid Chinese bank in money laundering probe Associated Press Global:  Vimpelcom to admit violation of anti-corruption laws Reuters Brazil:  As impeachment stalls, Brazil probe corners Rousseff allies Bloomberg France:  Front National raided over EU fraud allegations BBC Israel:  Olmert case 'tip of iceberg' as Israel tries to combat corruption Middle East Eye  (TI mention) Papua New Guinea:  PNG students say shortage of unive...

United States: Tech company PTC to pay $28 million to resolve U.S. bribery probes Published on Feb 17, 2016 11:00 pm          Saudi Arabia: Madinah governor opens campaign against corruption Published on Feb 17, 2016 10:30 pm          Venezuela: Venezuela Arrests 55 Suspects in Food Corruption Ring Case Published on Feb 17, 2016 10:00 pm          Malaysia: TI fears Malaysia moving towards autocracy Published on Feb 17, 2016 09:30 pm          Nigeria: Halliburton: Lawyers admit taking $3.5m as EFCC closes in on suspects Published on Feb 17, 2016 09:00 pm          China: China securities regulator strengthening ability to discover irregularities – Legal Daily Published on Feb 17, 2016 08:30 pm          Brazil: As Impeachment Fades, Brazil Graft Probe Corners Rousseff Allies Published on Feb 17, 2016 08:00 pm         ...