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Showing posts from October, 2016

Philippines illicit trade / Indonesia corruption war / Nepal suspension

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Philippines underperforms vs illicit trade – survey .  The Philippines lacks the capability to verify eligible traders, making corruption in its borders rampant and helping proliferate illicit trade that take away revenues, a new survey found. Prinz Magtulis/PhilStar: http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/10/23/1636292/philippines-underperforms-vs-illicit-trade-survey Corruption eradication yet to improve under Jokowi’s presidency, says watchdog .  Two years after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla entered office, there has been no significant improvement in Indonesia’s war against corruption, Indonesia Corruption Watch said. Marguerite Afra Sapiie/The Jakarta Post: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/21/corrupt

South-South Exchange / Korea-U.S. anti-corruption laws / 3 things

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. South-South Exchange on Mitigating Integrity Risks in Government Contracts .  Held in Bangkok 17-18 October 2016 and co-organised by the Comptroller General’s Department of Thailand, the British Embassy, and UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, the conference brought together participants from Thailand, Viet Nam, the Philippines, as well as international experts from South-Korea and UNDP. UNDP in Asia and the Pacific: http://www.asia-pacific.undp.org/content/rbap/en/home/presscenter/events/2016/october/south-south-exchange-on-mitigating-integrity-risks-/ Thank you to Liviana Zorzi, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, for sharing this information. The New Anti-Corruption Act of Korea and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) .  "The enforcement of the Improper S

Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates – 28 Oct 2016 – Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Palau, Samoa, Fiji

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) These updates are provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Anti-Corruption Project for Southeast Asia, and the joint UNODC - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project, with support of the Australian Government. If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. VANUATU: Immunity judgement next Wednesday .  The effect of the decision of last year’s bribery case and related cases will be decided Wednesday next week when Supreme Court Judge, James Paul Geoghegan is set to deliver a decision on the Constitutional application of the former members of parliament. http://dailypost.vu/news/immunity-judgement-next-wednesday/article_9ec04c39-16c5-577a-966d-87eea0dd70ba.html TONGA: Independence needed around Tongan Anti-Corruption appoi

Chinese 'one million' / India fall guy / Malaysia funding cut

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. 'One million' Chinese officials punished for corruption .  The statistics were released as top officials in the Chinese Communist Party begin a closed-door plenum in Beijing. BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-37748241 India law amendment might make junior staff fall guy for corruption (commentary) .  "Corruption can be minimised when both supply- and demand-sides are symmetrically criminalised which the Bill does not do, in its present form." Mallika Mahajan/The Financial Express: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe-columnist/prevention-of-corruption-bill-new-bill-will-allow-companies-to-make-junior-staff-the-fall-guy-perpetrators-to-go-scot-free/427604/ Cut in Malaysia anti-graft agency's funding creates bad impression .  The cut in the allocation for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption

Global civil service / South Korea & China / Indonesia fisheries

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. New Study Highlights Global Trends in Civil Service .  The Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana and the United Nations Development Programme Global Centre for Public Service Excellence in Singapore recently presented a large-scale study called Global and Regional Trends in Civil Service Development. Yerbolat Uatkhanov/The Astana Times: http://astanatimes.com/2016/10/new-study-highlights-global-trends-in-civil-service/ South Korea and China take on corruption in different ways (commentary) .  "The implementation of the new [anti-bribery and anti-graft law known as the Kim Young Ran Act] is a bold reminder of the differences and similarities between South Korea and China." Kim Sang Soon/Daily NK: http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId

Myanmar MP / Indonesia praise / China session

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Myanmar MP says gov't anti-corruption action should be publicised .  If the government puts all its energies into the fight against corruption one day earlier, that will benefit Myanmar one day earlier, said Lower House MP Dr Than Win, a member of the ruling National League for Democracy. Eleven Myanmar: http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/politics/6195 Jokowi Praises Anti-Graft Agency KPK, Urges Public Help Stamp Out Corruption .  President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo also said the government has always respected the effort of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, to stamp out corruption, including its recent arrest of the Regional Representatives Council speaker Irman Gusman for allegedly receiving illegal gratification. Jakarta Globe: http://j

Journalist protection / Afghanistan question / India lecture

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Protecting journalists who cover corruption is good for the bottom line (commentary) .  "Corruption is one of the most dangerous beats for journalists, and one of the most important for holding those in power to account." Courtney C. Radsch, PhD, Advocacy Director/Committee to Protect Journalists: https://cpj.org/blog/2016/10/protecting-journalists-who-cover-corruption-is-goo.php Why Did the U.S. Fail to Fight Corruption in Afghanistan Effectively? (commentary) . "According to [a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction],  the U.S. failed to grasp the importance of combating corruption as part of a broader effort to improve security and stability, with policymakers and military leaders instead viewing anticorru

Indonesia patience / Vietnam salaries / Myanmar transparency

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Jokowi runs out of patience with corrupt officials .  Indonesian President warns of zero tolerance for tradition of bribery, plans legal reforms Francis Chan/Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/jokowi-runs-out-of-patience-with-corrupt-officials Salary of Vietnam’s public servants meets only 50% of living standards .  Outdated wage policy was named a primary cause of bureaucratic corruption in Vietnam by experts at a conference on wage reform in Hanoi. Tuoi Tre News: http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/37523/salary-of-vietnams-public-servants-only-meets-50-of-living-standards Fight for corporate disclosure a long one in Myanmar, says think tank .  A third of 100 big Myanmar companies do not have an official website where da

Philippine forum / Afghanistan tackle / Maldives concerns

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. --> Forum in Philippines on anti-corruption tackles practical strategies .  Anti-corruption experts from abroad cited successful plans on how to curb corruption in their respective countries, in an international forum in Quezon City, the Philippines. Reniel D. Gloriani/BusinessWorld: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=forum-on-anti-corruption-tackles-practical-strategies&id=134900 --> Afghanistan to get $15.2bn in aid but has to tackle corruption .  Governments around the world pledged $15.2bn in aid for Afghanistan until 2020 at an EU-hosted conference in Brussels. Emma Rumney/Public Finance International: http://www.publicfinanceinternational.org/news/2016/10/afghanistan-get-152bn-aid-has-tackle-c

E-learning website / Healthcare corruption / Dawn raid app

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter (https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Another Essential Web Site for Anticorruption Professionals (commentary) .  "I recommend anticorruption professionals [to visit] CAMPUS, an e-learning site developed by the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery. CAMPUS link: https://forum.assetrecovery.org/elearning/courses Rick Messick/Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2016/10/12/another-essential-web-site-for-anticorruption-professionals/ Diagnosing Corruption in Healthcare (publication) . Information collected from a literature review, key informant interviews, and a survey with healthcare professionals was used to identify the main corruption types in the healthcare sector and provide contextual information on the profile for each type. Australian Policy Online: http://apo.org.

Anti-corruption justice and collaboration in Kosovo: Challenges and recommendations - U4 Brief

The author, Sheelagh Brady, is a Senior Security Analyst at SAR Consultancy and has also written the background report to the U4 workshop “Strengthening the role of the Kosovar justice sector in fighting corruption” hosted by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Kosovo Judicial Institute, in Prishtina on 23-24 May this year. Based on the background research and the workshop, the author identifies three key obstacles that if addressed may have a significant positive impact on interagency collaboration and thereby also the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases in Kosovo: insufficient coordination mechanisms, incoherent institutional design, and lack of trust and incentives to collaborate. To further recent progress in interagency collaboration and to ensure that a higher number of investigations and prosecutions are translated into convictions, strategic action would include: First, to re-establish a coordination mechanism. Secondly, to review the mandate of the ACA. Third, to

WSJ - Corruption Currents: U.S. Political System Under Cyberattack, Experts Warn Experts - 14 Oct 2016

WSJ -- Corruption Currents: U.S. Political System Under Cyberattack, Experts Warn. 14 Oct 2016. By Samuel Rubenfeld. http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2016/10/14/corruption-currents-u-s-political-system-under-cyberattack-experts-warn/

Indonesia amnesty / Malaysia funds / India black money

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Controversial Indonesian tax amnesty proves divisive .  Indonesia has hailed a tax amnesty as a major success after it raised more than US$10.2 billion (S$14 billion) in its first few months, but criticism is mounting that the controversial scheme lets the super-rich off the hook. Today Online: http://www.todayonline.com/business/controversial-indonesian-tax-amnesty-proves-divisive When funds go missing: how FixMyStreet is helping fight corruption in Malaysia (op-ed) .  "In Malaysia, there’s no obligation for authorities to publish data on how public funds are spent, so it’s easy for corruption to thrive." mySociety: https://www.mysociety.org/2016/10/07/when-funds-go-missing-how-fixmystreet-is-helping-fight-corruption-in-malaysia/

China housing / Pakistan report / Malaysian employees

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Communist Party Officials Cheat the Poor out of China’s Project Housing .  "China has low-income housing projects, but it too often happens that instead of going to the poor, the properties end up supplementing the already-generous income of state and Party officials." Frank Fang/Epoch Times: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2168028-communist-party-officials-cheat-the-poor-out-of-chinas-project-housing/?utm_expvariant=D002_02&utm_expid=21082672-12.InTAp1P_QWuf9wSnIRJAqg.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F Attorney-General reports massive corruption in Karachi agencies .  A report by the Auditor General of Pakistan alleges financial corruption in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Karachi Water Sewerage Board, and all Distric

Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates – Tonga, Fiji, French Polynesia, Cook Islands, and Vanuatu

Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) These updates are provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Anti-Corruption Project for Southeast Asia, and the joint UNODC - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project, with support of the Australian Government. If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. TONGA Tongan noble calls for anti-corruption action .  A noble MP has called on Tonga's government to stop delaying the appointment of the country's first Anti-Corruption commissioner. http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/315623/tongan-noble-calls-for-anti-corruption-action FIJI Former Fiji Commerce Commission CEO charged with abuse of office .  Former CEO of Fiji Commerce Commis