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If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Corruption in sports under control, says MACC .  The problem of corruption in sports is more about the abuse of power by public agency officers in procurement cases, says the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. Bernama/Free Malaysia Today: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/04/18/corruption-in-sports-under-control-says-macc/ China issues stricter rules for officials to report assets . China has issued stricter regulations requiring officials to report personal information, including assets, to the ruling Communist Party, state media said, in the country's latest effort to tackle corruption. Reuters: http://news.trust.org/item/20170420024042-dhrdk Pakistan anti-graft agency promotes value education thru colouring book .  National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has launched a colouring book on “SAY NO TO CORRUPTION” to convey the message of th...

If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Fighting corruption in Vietnam requires institutional reform (opinion) .  "Any substantial reforms for the nation will not be easy when vested interests are deeply rooted in state machinery and political patronage remains a key way to operate the system." Hai Hong Nguyen, Visiting Research Fellow at the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, School of Political Science and International Studies, University of Queensland/East Asia Forum: http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2017/04/19/fighting-corruption-in-vietnam-requires-institutional-reform/ Laos retrieves 6.1 mln USD from corrupt officials .  The State Inspection Authority (SIA) of Laos has retrieved more than 50 billion Lao kip (6.1 million U.S. dollars) over the past two years from corrupt officials who had embezzled state properties. Xinhua: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-04/19/c_136220292...

If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Black into white — inside money laundering in Pakistan .  The U.S. State Department estimates that US$10 billion are laundered out of Pakistan every year. Khurram Husain/The Dawn: https://www.dawn.com/news/1322817/cover-story-black-into-white-inside-money-laundering A borderless world in curbing corruption (editorial) .  More countries now allow outside influence in battling corruption, the latest example being Ukraine, which agreed to set up an anti-corruption court as a condition of aid. Editorial Board/Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2017/0418/A-borderless-world-in-curbing-corruption Pakistan anti-graft body says it recovered Rs 45b .  The present management of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), during its almost two and half years tenure, has recovered Rs 45 billion from corrupt elements.  ...

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. A Critical Evaluation of National Anticorruption Strategies (commentary) .  "Unfortunately, most of the existing analysis of national anticorruption strategies focuses not on substance, but only on process (things like stakeholder engagement, the drafting process, the need for realism, cost-benefit analysis, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, etc.)." Mark Pyman, Senior Fellow at the London Institute for Statecraft/Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2017/04/06/guest-post-a-critical-evaluation-of-national-anticorruption-strategies/ China’s financial sector told to expect new wave of graft scrutiny .  [China's] graft-busters are expected to once again set their sights on the financial sector after several senior industry figures came under invest...

If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Thai university vice-rectors resign en masse over anti-corruption rule .  All 13 vice-rectors at Thailand’s prestigious Mahidol University resigned en masse at the end of last month after Thailand’s anti-corruption agency announced that the vice-rectors of public universities needed to declare their assets under a new law. Suluck Lamubol/University World News: http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20170413124401580 Indonesian corruption investigator attacked with chemical .  Police said an anti-corruption commission investigator leading a probe into a scandal that threatens to implicate high-profile Indonesian politicians was attacked with a chemical as he returned from dawn prayers. Arab News: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1082616/world Exposing Procurement Corruption: Ten Questions to Ask (commentary) .  "[These] ten simple, straight...

If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Graft and environmental unsustainability (opinion) .  "It does not take a rocket scientist to understand the relationship between corruption and environmental degradation." Azrina Sobian/The Star Online: http://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/ikim-views/2017/04/18/graft-and-environmental-unsustainability-corrupt-acts-not-only-damage-the-environment-but-distort-na/ Asset recovery remains low in Vietnam .  Asset recovery in civil lawsuits, particularly those relating to major economic corruption, remains low as authorities have found it difficult to verify the financial status of defendants, said Le Quang Tien, head of Ha Noi’s Department of Civil Judgment Enforcement. Vietnam Net Bridge: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/176536/asset-recovery-remains-low.html To Fight Corruption, Afghanistan Must Strengthen And Reform Its Anti-Corruption Agenc...

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. FIJI: Students question Attorney-General on salaries of ministers.  High school students questioned the salaries of government ministers during the National Budget Consultation in Sigatoka. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=397089 Fraud inquiry.  The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) is investigating 10 army officers for alleged fraud. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=397092 KIRIBATI: Workshop on good governance.  The Kiribati National Audit Office in partnership with the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions or PASAI delivered ...

If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. China seeks Asean's help in anti-graft drive .  China is seeking help from Asean to set up a regional mechanism to help it hunt down fugitives fleeing President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive, a top Chinese official said. Tay Hwee peng/Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-seeks-aseans-help-in-anti-graft-drive Philippines Needs A Leader Dressed In White (opinion) .  "To fight corruption, Philippines need a leader dressed in white, someone who is free of corruption -- like Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew." Panos Mourdoukoutas/Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2017/04/11/philippines-needs-a-leader-dressed-in-white/#b0b270920d50 Corruption at top rung of China's ancient petition system sparks calls for reform .  An expose of corruption at the top level of China's centuries-old petition system – wh...

If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Arabesque Combines Big Data and AI to Launch Unique Corporate Transparency Tool .  A new tool that allows investors, regulators, NGOs, corporates, and consumers to monitor the sustainability of over 4,000 of the world’s largest corporations was launched 11 April 2017. Yahoo Finance: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/arabesque-combines-big-data-ai-140000598.html Fighting corruption takes community cooperation, panelists stress in UN-backed televised debates in Afghanistan .  To eliminate corruption from Afghanistan, every individual in every community across the country must play an active role, said panellists in televised UN-backed debates held in Kandahar and Jalalabad during the past week. Blackird MILTECH: http://www.military-technologies.net/2017/04/11/fighting-corruption-takes-community-cooperation-panellists-stress-in-un-backed-televised-debates/ Corruptio...

If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. China to study office of PH Ombudsman as possible model .  China’s top graftbuster personally invited Office of the Ombudsman chief Conchita Carpio-Morales to Beijing to learn how her office works in their bid to craft a law that will establish an all-encompassing anti-graft body. Jaime Pilapil/Manila Times: http://www.manilatimes.net/china-copy-office-ph-ombudsman/322152/ Thailand National Anti-Corruption Commission given more power .  Thailand’s watchdog on graft got a bigger bite when legislators passed a law giving the National Anti-Corruption Commission the power to launch investigations on its own against those suspected of illegal activity without having to wait for a third party to file a complaint. Royal Thai Embassy, Washington D.C.: http://thaiembdc.org/2017/04/10/national-anti-corruption-commission-given-more-power/ Indonesia Air Force Chief Highl...

If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. Indonesia watchdog refuses law revision .  Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Agus Rahardjo, said that the agency’s commissioners and employees are in favor of a strong KPK and are against a revised draft of the KPK Law that would limit the body to functioning as an agency to prevent the act of corruption rather than an agency to prosecute the act of corruption. Tempo: https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/04/10/055864316/KPK-Refuses-Law-Revision Majority of voters want a federal ICAC, Australia poll reveals .  An overwhelming majority of Australian voters support the establishment of a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption, a nationwide poll has revealed. Kate McClymont/Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/national/overwhelming-majority-of-voters-want-a-federal-icac-poll-reveals-20170409-gvh6nu.html Indonesia’...

If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser’s address bar instead. The Alarming Nature of Corruption in Timor Leste (opinion) .  "A culture of gift-giving is part of the traditional norms of Timorese society, accepted as a way of thanking people for their help… [although it] potentially becomes corruption when it intersects with the operation of a modern democratic political and administrative system intended to embody good governance, of the type that Timor-Leste adopted in its 2002 Constitution and firmly believes in." Jonas Guterres/The Diplomat: http://thediplomat.com/2017/04/the-alarming-nature-of-corruption-in-timor-leste/ Macau graft watchdog with more complaints and fewer results in 2016 .  The annual report from the activities of the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) for 2016 shows a rise in complaints of 15 percent year-on-year and a decrease in the number of criminal cases concluded in 2016, down by 29 percent y...

Upholding rule of law key to Singapore’s survival: PM Lee .  Upholding the rule of law is key to Singapore’s survival, and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) plays a critical role in doing that, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. Channel News Asia: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/upholding-rule-of-law-key-to-singapore-s-survival-pm-lee/3643648.html Australia: The Queensland Government to broaden the reach of the States corruption watchdog .  Queensland agencies should start to take appropriate steps to identify internal processes and procedures that may need to change to comply with the changes to the Crime and Corruption Act. Barry Dunphy & Eleanor Dickens/Mondaq: http://www.mondaq.com/australia/x/581588/Constitutional+Administrative+Law/The+Queensland+Government+to+broaden+the+reach+of+the + States+corruption+watchdog Tax amnesty reveals new depths of Indonesian corruption (opinion) .  "Indonesia’s ongoing wave of economic nation...

Philippine Navy ship deal: Indonesians arrested .  Ranking officials of an Indonesian state shipbuilder were reportedly apprehended before the weekend by anti-corruption authorities over a bribery case involving the sale of two warships to the Philippine Navy worth at least P4 billion. Edith Regalado/Philippine Star: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/04/03/1687239/philippine-navy-ship-deal-indonesians-arrested Draft Whistleblowers Law Still Short on Specifics, Cambodia NGO Says .  The Anti-Corruption Unit said it was another step closer to finalizing drafts of its long-awaited laws to protect witnesses and whistleblowers who report corruption, according to a statement, despite warnings that the proposals remained short on specifics. Matt Surrusco & Ouch Sony/The Cambodia Daily: https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/draft-whistleblowers-law-still-short-on-specifics-ngo-says-127419/ FIFA hands 1,300-page corruption report to Swiss authorities . ...

Australia Federal Police adds to calls for greater whistleblower protections .  Foreign bribery scandals involving Australian companies would "most likely not be detected at all" without company insiders blowing the whistle, the Australian Federal Police has warned. Georgia Wilkins/Sydney Morning Herald; http://www.smh.com.au/business/afp-adds-to-calls-for-greater-whistleblower-protections-20170324-gv5ob3.html Did The U.S. Just Pull Out Of A Global Anti-Corruption Group? (opinion) "Officials in the U.S. Department of the Interior there seem to have removed the United States from a singularly successful anti-corruption effort." Adam Davidson/The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/business/adam-davidson/did-the-u-s-just-pull-out-of-a-global-anti-corruption-group MACC hopes new CJ will see judiciary free from corruption .  The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) believes the new Chief Justice of Malaysia, Md Raus Sharif, will lead the judiciary t...

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. FIJI: Anti-corruption curriculum planned.  The Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption (FICAC) is looking at introducing an anti-corruption curriculum at school level, according to FICAC Senior State Counsel, Francis Puleiwai. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=395581 Write-offs concern PAC.  Permanent Secretary for Fiji's Ministry of Education Iowane Tiko and two directors -- director Finance Donish Lal and director AMU Serupepeli Udre -- presented to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the Auditor-General's audit findings for years 2014 and 2015. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=395564 FICAC probes claim.  The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating a man, who is alleged to have fraudulently collected MPAISA cards from a village on Taveuni and received mat...

E-KTP: One Identification Card, Big-Time Corruption .  Indonesia is in the grips of a Rp.2.6 trillion (US$195 million) scandal involving the revamp of the country’s residential IDs. Jeff Hutton/Indonesia Expat: http://indonesiaexpat.biz/featured/e-ktp-one-identification-card-big-time-corruption/ The Bayesian Corruption Index: A New and Improved Method for Aggregating Corruption Perceptions (commentary) .  "The BCI certainly doesn’t solve all the problems of the traditional aggregated corruption perceptions indicators (more on this below), but it’s definitely an improvement, and deserves wider use." Matthew Stephenson/Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2017/03/28/the-bayesian-corruption-index-a-new-and-improved-method-for-aggregating-corruption-perceptions/ Push to make lawyers, accountants report suspicions transactions .  Real estate agents will be required to report suspicious clients under anti-money laundering rules the ...

ADB to double anti-corruption efforts .  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it will update its Anticorruption Policy, in line with its initiative to step up its anticorruption and integration efforts as a way of enhancing development in the region. GMA News: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/604776/money/economy/adb-to-double-anti-corruption-efforts-to-enhance-asia-s-dev-t Ongoing corruption scandal in Japan increases risk of prime minister stepping down, slowing legislative progress .  Support ratings for Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet fell by 9 percentage points over the past month to 52%, according to a telephone poll conducted by Kyodo News on 25 March and 26 March, following an ongoing scandal involving the opening of a private elementary school with a nationalist curriculum. HIS Jane's 360: http://www.janes.com/article/69040/ongoing-corruption-scandal-in-japan-increases-risk-of-prime-minister-stepping-down-slowing-legislative-progress Sup...

Fixing the failed extractives sector: the government’s credibility is on the line  By Sayed Ikram Afzali, Executive Director President Ghani recently appointed a new minister for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) after exactly one year in which there was no full-time minister to lead one of the most critical sectors in the country. The government’s credibility is on the line, but the true test is not whether a Minister can be appointed and confirmed: it is whether they can finally push through real reforms on the ground.   The new minister faces tremendous challenges. Illegal mining is prevalent all over Afghanistan, fueling conflict and criminality from Badakhshan province to Helmand and from Nangarhar to Herat. Mining contracts have been awarded mostly based on political connections and kickbacks. State-owned enterprises have been subject to misuse by the MoMP leadership. Lack of proper monitori...

Australia Federal Police adds to calls for greater whistleblower protections .  Foreign bribery scandals involving Australian companies would "most likely not be detected at all" without company insiders blowing the whistle, the Australian Federal Police has warned. Georgia Wilkins/Sydney Morning Herald; http://www.smh.com.au/business/afp-adds-to-calls-for-greater-whistleblower-protections-20170324-gv5ob3.html Eight measures part of anti-graft policy: Government of India .  The government said that it is implementing eight anti-graft measures as part of its policy of `zero tolerance' against corruption. The Times of India; http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/eight-measures-part-of-anti-graft-policy-government/articleshow/57904805.cms Malaysian football not free of corruption says national agency .  Malaysian football needs to work harder to ensure the integrity of the sport, according to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the government age...