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Get AP-INTACT posts on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/apintactnetwork ) and Blogger ( http://newsbin-apintact.blogspot.com/ ) If a link below does not work, please copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar instead. Code of practice aims to bring transparency to crowdfunding platforms .  Online fundraising appeals have come under the spotlight recently after four major crowdfunding platforms in Singapore committed to adopt a new industry Code of Practice . Rahimah Rashith/Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/code-of-practice-aims-to-bring-transparency-to-crowdfunding-platforms OECD Global Forum .  Registration is open for the 2018 OECD Global Anti-corruption & Integrity Forum - "Planet Integrity: Building a Fairer Society" - 27/28 March 2018. Register here: http://oe.cd/IF2018   AP-INTACT shares this information strictly as a service to members. To apply or know more, visit the relevant link in ...

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. We Need To Talk About Donors (commentary) .  "When it comes to corruption, international donors easily become part of the problem." Mark Pyman, Senior Fellow at the London Institute for Statecraft, and former Commissioner of the Afghanistan Joint Independent Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee/Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2018/01/11/we-need-to-talk-about-donors/ Assessing Corruption Assessments: TI's National Integrity System (commentary) .  "No matter the starting point, my sense is that many assessment methods have evolved into little more than compliance checklists (as they have with money laundering assessments)." Rick Messick/Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruption...

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. Sri Lanka to set up a national action plan to eliminate bribery and corruption .  An intellectual gathering to discuss setting up of an action plan for elimination of bribery and corruption, chaired by Secretary to the President, Austin Fernando was held at the Presidential Secretariat on January 18. Colombo Page: http://www.colombopage.com/archive_18A/Jan18_1516296261CH.php Singapore Expected to Introduce Deferred Prosecution Agreement Regime .  Singapore Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam announced that the government is considering the inclusion of Deferred Prosecution Agreements in the latest round of amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act. The National Law Review: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/singapore-expected-to-introduce-defe...

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. Legal reforms to support Myanmar's anti-corruption battle .  Following the appointment of a new Anti-Corruption Commission in November, attention is turning to the need for legal reform to ensure the commission's independence and protect whistleblowers. Hein Ko Soe/Frontier Myanmar: https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/legal-reforms-to-support-myanmars-anti-corruption-battle Chinese government develops big data to cast wider corruption net .  In an interview with the website of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), Mei Hong, the vice president of the Beijing Institute of Technology and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, said that the application of big data as a tool for anti-corruption has a promi...

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. FIJI: FICAC wants time to file a response to the strike out application for Ganesh Chand .  FICAC lawyer Joseph Work has sought time to file a response submission to the Defence strike out application in the case of former FNU Vice Chancellor Ganesh Chand. http://fijivillage.com/news/FICAC-wants-time-to-file-a-response-to-the-strike-out-application-for-Ganesh-Chand-92kr5s/ Woman to appear in court for allegedly bribing Immigration Officer .  It is alleged that the woman offered $10,000...

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. Political corruption scandals may be predicted by network science .  In a new study, researchers have demonstrated that it may be possible to predict who will play a role in future scandals by modeling current scandals using networks.  Lisa Zyga/phys.org:  https://phys.org/news/2018-01-political-corruption-scandals-network-science.html How Corruption and Cronyism in Banking Fueled Iran's Protests (opinion) .  "The International Monetary Fund warned last month that Iran's banks and lenders 'need urgent restructuring and recapitalization,' calling for write-downs of overvalued assets and a crackdown on loans to insiders. " Thomas Erdbrink, David D. Kirkpatrick and Nilo Tabrizy/New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/20...

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. Multi-million dollar Shell oil heist in Singapore.   Nine Singaporeans and two Vietnamese men were charged on Tuesday (Jan 9) over their alleged involvement in stealing fuel -- valued at S$2.4 million -- from Shell's Pulau Bukom refinery. Vanessa Paige Chelvan/Channel News Asia: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/shell-multi-million-dollar-oil-heist-pulau-bukom-9845126 Fiji corruption list .  Abuse of office and bribery top the list of the most common corruption-related offences in Fiji, the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) revealed. Litia Cava/The Fiji Times Online: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=429888 Ride-hailing app Grab signs MoU with Cambodia anti-corruption body .  Ride-hailing giant Grab signed a Memorandu...

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. Fighting corruption in Asia and the Pacific (commentary) .  "Little has been said about how women can be powerful agents of change in the fight against corruption—whether they are in leadership positions or as mere citizens and members of their local communities." Dasho Neten Zangmo, former head of Bhutan's Anti-Corruption Commission/The Daily Star:  http://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/fighting-corruption-asia-and-the-pacific-1520377 Vietnam, France shake hands in combating corruption . The Government Inspectorate of Vietnam and the French Anti-Corruption Agency signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in preventing and fighting corruption in Hanoi on January 15. Vietnam Plus:  https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-france-shake-hands-in-combating-corru...

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. Maldives looks to bring in asset recovery law .  Maldives government is looking to bring in a separate legislation to recover embezzled state funds and assets, Attorney General (AG) Mohamed Anil announced. AVAS: https://avas.mv/en/42936 Why Foreign Businesses Will Put Up With Some Corrupt Practices In Southeast Asia (commentary) .  Many businesses and investors new to the Southeast Asia region will learn that small-scale bribery can be a part of the business, but some executives find ways to minimize or evade the payments they are asked for from public officials. Danielle Keeton-Olsen/Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daniellekeetonolsen/2018/01/12/why-foreign-businesses-will-put-up-with-some-corrupt-practices-in-southeast-asia/#595bece72fe3 Subtle corrupti...

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. Safeguarding your company against corporate corruption overseas (commentary) .  "In a bid to keep bribery at bay, Singapore companies need to reassess three key areas - corporate culture, standard operating procedures and environment scanning." Tan Chong Huat & Billy Huang/The Business Times: http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion/safeguarding-your-company-against-corporate-corruption-overseas Rising corruption costs Australia up to 4% of GDP, says think tank .  Australia's slide down a global corruption ranking has cut the size of its economy by up to AUD$72.3bn (US$57bn), a Canberra think-tank has claimed. Liz Heron/Global Government Forum: https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/rising-corruption-costs-australia-4-gdp-says-think-tank/ A series of in...

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. Concerns about qualifications of Thailand anti-corruption commissioners .  Thailand's Constitution Drafting Commission has expressed concern about the qualifications of the National Anti-Corruption Commissioners, who have been spared as a result of the enactment of the new NACC bill, said National Legislative Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai. The Nation: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30336107 Trump's 'war on media' reverberates in Asia (commentary) .  "Asia witnessed a particularly disturbing rollback in free expression last year amid escalating attacks on the media and harassment of journalists. " Keith Richburg/Nikkei: https://asia.nikkei.com/Viewpoints/Keith-B.-Richburg/Trump-s-war-on-media-reverberates-in-Asia M...

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. Perceived public service corruption sapped $72.3b from GDP: Australia Institute .  Perceived corruption in the public service may have wiped $72 billion from Australia's economy, as its standing in international government integrity rankings slipped over the last four years, a new report says. Dough Dingwall/The Canberra Times; http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/perceived-public-service-corruption-sapped-723b-from-gdp-australia-institute-20180110-h0g3ca.html Accountability in a one-party system: the task of gauging public opinion in Vietnam .  The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working with national partners in Vietnam to collect citizen feedback on the performance of local government in an annual survey, the Viet Nam Prov...

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. Singapore forms new unit to boost fraud detection in SkillsFuture claims .  The development comes after it was reported last month that SSG, which oversees the lifelong learning scheme, had been cheated of nearly $40 million - the biggest case of a government agency being defrauded to date. Hariz Baharudin/The New Paper: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/new-unit-boost-fraud-detection-skillsfuture-claims Indonesia's anti-corruption drive needs a reality check (commentary) .  "It is high time to review Indonesia's anti-corruption drive given that longstanding concerns about Indonesia's corruption levels can dampen its business environment and foreign investment growth." Kanti Pertiwi, lecturer at the University of Indonesia's faculty of business and econo...

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. Sri Lanka to enact new monetary law to prevent corruption at Central Bank following Bond Scam .  Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, in a special statement to the nation said that the government would adapt a new Monetary Law Act in the island country to avoid any malpractices in the Central Bank in the future. MENAFN: http://menafn.com/1096305132/Sri-Lanka-to-enact-new-monetary-law-to-prevent-corruption-at-Central-Bank-following-Bond-Scam China gov't-owned companies to set up first institutional compliance systems .  Chinese state-owned enterprises are establishing institutional compliance systems for the first time, as regulators roll out new anti-bribery guidelines in the latest crackdown on corruption by President Xi Jinping. Emily Feng/Financial Times: https://www....

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. Getting into the 'action' (opinion) .  "Having to spend P1.1 trillion, equivalent to 6.3 percent of the country's GDP, this year alone is more than enough to make those less upright bureaucrats of [Philippine President Duterte's] government salivate and spend sleepless nights trying to find ways of cashing in on a percentage of any project." Rey Gamboa/Philippine Star: http://www.philstar.com/business/2018/01/04/1774322/getting-action Vietnam journalists honoured for anti-corruption efforts .  A group of reporters from the Nhan Dan (People) newspaper and one from the Nguoi lam bao (The Journalists) magazine have won the top prizes at a national press contest promoting the fight against corruption and wastefulness in the country. Vietnam Plus: https://e...

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. Getting into the 'action' (opinion) .  "Having to spend P1.1 trillion, equivalent to 6.3 percent of the country's GDP, this year alone is more than enough to make those less upright bureaucrats of [Philippine President Duterte's] government salivate and spend sleepless nights trying to find ways of cashing in on a percentage of any project." Rey Gamboa/Philippine Star: http://www.philstar.com/business/2018/01/04/1774322/getting-action Vietnam journalists honoured for anti-corruption efforts .  A group of reporters from the Nhan Dan (People) newspaper and one from the Nguoi lam bao (The Journalists) magazine have won the top prizes at a national press contest promoting the fight against corruption and wastefulness in the country. Vietnam Plus: https://e...

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. Dispatches from the UNCAC Conference of States Parties, Part 1: Revisiting the Jakarta Principles of Anti-Corruption Agencies (commentary) .  "Last month's COSP panel on 'Revisiting the Jakarta Principles: Strengthening Anti-Corruption Agencies' Independence and Effectiveness' made a strong case for ACA's importance to the fight against corruption." Matthew Stephenson/Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2017/12/19/dispatches-from-the-uncac-conference-of-states-parties-part-1-revisiting-the-jakarta-principles-of-anti-corruption-agencies Tax Planning in a World of Increased Transparency (commentary) .  " Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) are facing an evolving international tax landscape with long-term implications for tax c...

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. Graft complaints in Hong Kong's finance and insurance sectors up by 20 per cent, with 177 cases reported in 2017 .  Complaints of corruption in Hong Kong's finance and insurance sectors rose by almost 20 per cent to 177 in the first 11 months of 2017, the Independent Commission Against Corruption reported, even as it said that this did not point to a worsening problem. Christy Leung/South China Morning Post: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2125075/graft-complaints-hong-kongs-finance-and-insurance-sectors Thailand's anti-graft bill to target unmarried partners .  The anti-graft organic bill expected to go before the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) last December 21, 2017 will require unmarried partners of political office-holders to declare their ass...

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. Illegal money changers 'biggest accomplices' of the corrupt, says Malaysia anti-graft agency .  Illegal money changers, also known as underground bankers, are among the biggest accomplices in money laundering and graft activities, according to a senior officer of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Free Malaysia Today: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/01/02/macc-illegal-money-changers-biggest-accomplices-of-the-corrupt/ 2018 Senior Executive Certificate in Institutional Integrity Management programme, 17-27 April, 2018 .  The 2018 Senior Executive Certificate in Institutional Integrity Management programme will be held in Hong Kong University from 17 – 27 April 2018 and it is now inviting applications from overseas anti-corruption or relat...

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. Pakistan SC judge backs accountability of judiciary, army .  Justice Dost Muhammad Khan of the Supreme Court has said that he is a supporter of bringing the judges and generals under the accountability law. Hasnaat Malik/The Express Tribune: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1595435/1-sc-judge-backs-accountability-judiciary-army/ How Hong Kong is combating corruption: A year-end review .  Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption continues to make strides in combating corruption on all fronts, according to Chow Chung-kong, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Corruption. Jaclyn Jaeger/Compliance Week: https://www.complianceweek.com/blogs/global-glimpses/how-hong-kong-is-combating-corruption-a-year-end-review#.Wkrz42T1VFQ Myanmar to hold 2018 sympo...

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. Korea's ODA project tainted by corruption scandal of ex-President Park: probe .  Impeached President Park Geun-hye's close friend who was charged with meddling in state affairs had been illegitimately involved in designing South Korea's official development assistance program, a probe result showed Yonhap/The Korea Herald: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20171226000777 Taiwan authorities call for bar membership reform .  Judges and prosecutors who have been charged with corruption or who lack the moral disposition to practice law should not be allowed to become attorneys, the Control Yuan's Committee on Judicial and Prison Administration Affairs said in a report published late last month. Shih Hsiao-kuang and Sherry Hsiao /Taipei Times: http://www.taipeitimes...

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. 2017 Gloomy Year for Justice System, Indonesia Corruption Watch Says .  The Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said 2017 has been the gloomiest year for bribery cases in justice institutions.  Tempo: https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/12/28/055914405/2017-Gloomy-Year-for-Justice-System-ICW-Says ICT can drive away graft in Bangladesh .  Corruption will be eliminated from the country if the information and communications technology is used properly, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said. The Daily Star: http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/laurels-ict-heroes-1511392 Anticorruption advocacy group releases top 10 issues to watch in Thailand .  Potential corruption by government cronies is on top of the watch list released by the Anti-Corruption of Thailand (ACT) group. The Nat...

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. Video on Thailand anti-bribery guidelines for juristic persons . Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) makes available a Quick Start Infographic Video to accompany its "Guidelines on Appropriate Internal Control Measures for Juristic Persons to Prevent Bribery of State Officials, Foreign Public Officials and Agents of Public International Organisations". Quick Start Infographic Video:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UJ_53rrzjqf8po_f7V-yX8FKSPHI1wAN/view NACC Anti-Bribery guidelines:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4EqHTtPIUhbUmpKRmhOU2VCcWc/view NACC Notification on Anti-Bribery Measures for Juristic Persons, published in Government Gazette on 15 December 2017 (in Thai):  http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2560/A/125/11.PDF Thank you to Ms....

Oil, bribes, politicians: what happened to 'clean' Singapore?   Known for its stout anti-corruption ethos, the Lion City is reeling from its biggest corporate corruption scandal Bhavan Jaipragas/South China Morning Post: http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2126198/oil-bribes-politicians-what-happened-clean-singapore Myanmar public urged to report corruption at latest peace talk .  State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi urged the public not to be afraid to complain if they spot any wrongdoing by ministers and civil servants during her fifth public "peace talk" in Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State. Nyein Nyein/The Irrawaddy: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/public-urged-report-corruption-latest-peace-talk.html Gov't leader refuses holiday gifts as Vietnam pledges tough corruption fight .  Vietnam's government leader asked officials across the country not to come to Hanoi bearing gifts in the coming Lunar New Year, the ...

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. Korea Justice Minister vows efforts to root out corruption .  Justice Minister Park Sang-ki promised Monday to continue efforts next year to fight corruption and address the wrongdoings of past governments. Yonhap News Agency: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2017/12/31/0200000000AEN20171231000700315.html Biggest corruption case in Nepal's history .  On July 16, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed cases against three members of the Tax Settlement Commission (TSC) at the Special Court on the charge of embezzling Rs10.02 billion in what is the biggest corruption case in Nepal's history.  Prithvi Man Shrestha/The Kathmandu Post: http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-12-31/biggest-corruption-case-in-nepals-history.html Indonesia Pol...

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. Japan's maglev corruption probe nets giants Kajima and Shimizu .  An investigation into bid-rigging on contracts for Japan's $80bn maglev project has widened from the Obayashi Corporation to include Kajima and Shimizu.  Global Construction Review: http://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/japans-maglev-corruption-probe-nets-giants-kajima-/ Vietnam Widens Crackdown Amid Public Outcry Over Corruption .   Vietnam's first move to prosecute a former politburo member widens the country's crackdown against graft to appease a restless public and protect fast economic growth. Ralph Jennings/Voice of America: https://www.voanews.com/a/vietnam-anti-corruption-expanding/4168105.html Corruption a pain point for foreign investors in India: Kroll .  The survey f...

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. Afghanistan Financial Intelligence Unit annual report now available online . The Afghanistan Government's Financial Intelligence Unit ( also know as FinTRACA ) has released its annual report for fiscal year 1396 (2017). To view or download the report, please click here: http://fintraca.gov.af/Report.html Thank you to Nesar Yosufzai, CAMS, Director General, Financial Intelligence Unit (FinTRACA), Afghanistan, for sharing this information. State officials the most corrupt in 2017 says Indonesian anti-graft agency . The majority of individuals arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 2017 were high echelon state officials, the anti-graft body has reported. Kharishar Kahfi/The Jakarta Post: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/12/27/state-officials-the-most-corrupt-...

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. Takeaways from the 34th International Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act .  At the 34th International Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act held in Washington, D.C., industry executives, members of the defense bar, and regulators examined developments in the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") over the past year and in the 40 years since its inception. JD Supra: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/takeaways-from-the-34th-international-18106/ Malaysia's civil servants urged to sign corruption pledge .  Malaysia's anti-corruption tsar has challenged government bodies to join a programme that encourages civil servants to sign a pledge to remain free of graft. Liz Heron/Global Government Forum: https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/...