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Court hearings move online in Indonesia as fight against graft must go on.   “Working from home takes on a whole new meaning in the fight against graft in Indonesia, with courts moving to the virtual world to hear corruption cases. The trials will also be live-streamed to make them accessible for the general public.” The Star:  https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2020/03/27/court-hearings-move-online-in-indonesia-as-fight-against-graft-must-go-on   A closer look at Kansai Electric and its gift-giving scandal.   “At the center of the scandal is former Takahama Deputy Mayor Eiji Moriyama…[who] had served as a powerful local fixer between Kepco officials and Takahama businesses, giving cash and gifts to Kepco officials in exchange for kickbacks and giving contracts to construction-related firms with ties to Moriyama, which then paid Moriyama a consulting fee.” Eric Johnston/The Japan Times:  https://www.japanti...

Countering corruption and closing civic space during coronavirus (Webinar).  At 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM, Tuesday, March 31, 2020 GMT+7 time, join the Accountability Lab to hear perspectives from the ground on these issues in Pakistan, Nigeria and Mexico; and brainstorm around how you can support citizen engagement, accountability and trust-building during the coronavirus. Accountability Lab : https://zoom.us/meeting/register/uZElf-CgrzIrkGwbLJbZF86rHr7kN7aWbw       SDG16: Fostering Peace, Justice And Strong Institutions In A World Under Duress (Blog).   “As the world steps up its response to the worst public health and economic crisis in nearly a century one thing is clear: strong institutions and the pursuit of peace will be more important than ever. And everyone - politicians, businesses, and civil society - has a critical role to play.” Isabella Kaminski and James Murray/Business Green:  https://www.businessgreen.com/featu...

Recommendations on open contracting for OGP action plans (Resource).  This briefing discusses: fighting corruption in public procurement in the context of the Open Government Partnership; trends and examples of good practice in open contracting; existing commitments and recommendations for inclusion in action plans” Transparency International:  https://www.transparency.org/files/content/activity/Rec_on_Open_Contracting_for_OGP_action_plans_-_FINAL.pdf     Ex-Hong Kong exchange official charged with IPO-related bribery.  “Hong Kong’s anti-corruption unit has charged a former exchange official with bribery and misconduct over a 2017 IPO application by thread manufacturer Shen You Holdings.” Reuters:  https://www.reuters.com/article/hongkong-bourse-corruption/update-1-ex-hong-kong-exchange-official-charged-with-ipo-related-bribery-idUSL4N2BI2FL           Ensuring Adequate Antico...

Special Issue on Fighting Corruption in the Health Sector (Blog).  “this special issue…addresses crucial and highly relevant issues related to the health sector’s ability to prevent, detect, and sanction corruption, in order to address the threats that corruption poses to the health system’s ability to perform effectively during both crises and normal times.” Sarah Steingrüber/The Global Anticorruption Blog:  https://en.radiofarda.com/a/corrupt-politicians-shady-charitable-entities-and-the-coronavirus-crisis-in-iran/30488713.html       See What Industry Ranks as Most Globally Corrupt.  “Companies in the extractive industry faced the most bribery investigations in 2019, both by the U.S. and other global authorities, according to a new corruption report.” Sue Reisinger/Corporate Counsel:  https://www.law.com/corpcounsel/2020/03/18/see-what-industry-ranks-as-most-globally-corrupt/?slreturn=20200...

Open Business – Summary of principles and guidance for anti-corruption corporate transparency (Resource).  “By demonstrating the value of harnessing transparency in these areas, this report shows how companies can embrace transparency to reduce corruption risk while also building consumer and public trust, protecting and building their reputation and gaining a competitive advantage.” Transparency International:  https://www.transparency.org.uk/publications/open-business-anticorruption-governance-disclosure-guidance/       AirAsia bosses back after internal inquiry clears them of Airbus scandal links.  “ Last month, the duo relinquished their executive roles for two months in the wake of allegations that the airline received a US$50 million (RM219 million) bribe from aircraft manufacturer Airbus. A statement released by AirAsia today said that auditors BDO Governance Advisory Sdn Bhd had cleared them of any wrong...

Kansai Electric ordered to improve operations after bribery scandal.   “The [Japanese government] ordered Kansai Electric Power Co to improve its business operations following a bribery scandal…[which] began in 1987…and continued for more than three decades until they were discovered in a tax audit.” Japan Today: https://japantoday.com/category/crime/kansai-electric-ordered-to-improve-operations-over-bribery-scandal       Corruption and the coronavirus (Blog).   “The procurement of medicines and supplies in health systems is typically one of the most vulnerable areas for corruption. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), approximately 10 – 25 per cent of all money spent on procurement globally is lost to corruption… And that’s during normal times.” Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_and_the_coronavirus     Sca...

In times like these, transparency matters more than ever (Blog).   “During crises like the outbreak of a deadly virus, the risk of corruption in healthcare is exacerbated by dramatically increased pressure on the system. Disruption, uncertainty and distraction contribute to an environment in which corrupt actors can take advantage of the crisis for their own benefit.” Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/in_times_like_these_transparency_matters_more_than_ever    Chairman NAB directs rapid processing of mega corruption cases.  “[Pakistan’s Chairman National Accountability Bureau] Justice Javed Iqbal, during his visit, issued instructions for bringing all Mega Corruption Scams to their logical end without causing any delay and to file evidence based corruption references in Accountability Courts.” The Nation: https://nation.com.pk/20-Mar-2020/chairman-nab-directs-rapid-processing-of-mega-...

What ails Australian aid to the Pacific? Two Pacific expert views.   There are issues around corruption and wastage but if the Pacific people were to have a greater say in programming and the aid we receive, we can then be held entirely responsible for it.” https://devpolicy.org/what-ails-australian-aid-to-the-pacific-two-pacific-expert-views-20200320/   PNG: Avoiding the wrong lessons on aid and corruption.  Corruption is not a new argument against development assistance. https://devpolicy.org/avoiding-the-wrong-lessons-on-aid-and-corruption-20200319/ Major reforms under way in PNG police force.  Bryan Kramer says reform has started with efforts to weed out poor administration and corruption within the police hierarchy in Port Moresby. https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/2018738378/major-reforms-under-way-in-png-police-force Up to K4.4bn laundered in PNG .  The possible level of money launderi...

Malaysia recovers $459 million of 1MDB fraud money: PM's office.  “Malaysia has recovered RM1.4 billion (S$459 million) of funds allegedly stolen from state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, and identified another RM6.9 billion for recovery, the prime minister's office said” The Straits Times:  https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-recovers-s459-million-of-1mdb-fraud-money-pms-office   Fiscal Transparency in Times of Emergency Response: Reflections for times of Covid-19 (Blog).  “While transparency expectations for risks management and contingencies are part of international standards and particular attention has also been given in post-disaster attention, fiscal transparency in emergency situations is certainly intricate.” Lorena Rivero del Paso/Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency:  http://www.fiscaltransparency.net/blog_open_public.php?IdToOpen=8281          ASEA...

Corrupt Politicians, Shady 'Charitable' Entities And The Coronavirus Crisis In Iran.  “In a nutshell, the Mehr al-Reza Jihadi Foundation is a carbon copy of hundreds of other “charitable” entities in Iran that make millions, thanks to their connections with a prominent political, military or religious figure. These entities are never transparent, are always under the protection of a powerful figure, do not issue any financial reports and can suddenly set up branches in all parts of the country.” Reza Haqiqatnezhad/Radio Farda: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/corrupt-politicians-shady-charitable-entities-and-the-coronavirus-crisis-in-iran/30488713.html       Haryana vowed transparency but law officers list is dominated by kin of judges, politicians.  “The Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana government had promised an “open and transparent” process for the appointment of the state’s law officers, even is...

Adopting collaborative solutions to increase transparency and integrity in South East Asia.  Addressing corruption and strengthening governance systems requires an active role of governments, the private sector and civil society. UNDP’s regional initiative “Promoting Fair Business Environment in ASEAN” aims to improve transparency and integrity both in the public and private sector, through a collaborative approach. As a result of last year’s Fair Biz Lab , Viet Nam, Indonesia and Thailand are now pilot-testing collaborative platforms as a new approach to promote responsible business practices, increase transparency, business integrity and community participation at subnational and national level.  Read more about the projects here: https://www.undp.org/content/dam/rbap/docs/dg/Fairbiz4Prosperity/Fair%20Biz%20Grant%20projects%20summary%20V5.pdf      MySay: Navigating the waves of corporate and personal liability on corru...

Ensuring the right to information in Vietnam — one step of many (Blog).   “While Vietnam has recently strengthened citizens’ right to information through the legal framework, there is still a long way towards effective implementation. Most state agencies are still not saying how information can be requested, many local government employees have not been trained to process information requests and not enough citizens have been made aware of their rights.” Transparency International: https://voices.transparency.org/ensuring-the-right-to-information-in-vietnam-one-step-of-many-a698e5a83547   Myanmar fails to clean up its dirty finances.  “To be sure, important progress has been made on several fronts. For instance, the government has initiated key reforms in improving bank governance, tackling corruption and mandating greater corporate disclosure including over company ownership.” Rory Wallace/Asia Times: https://asiati...

Corruption in universities: Paths to integrity in the higher education subsector (Resource).   “Higher education regulatory frameworks should promote accountability and anti-corruption measures as part of accreditation and assessment standards. Donors can use their assistance to bolster anti-corruption compliance in the universities they partner with, strengthen accreditation agencies, and support information technology solutions.” Monica Kirya/U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre: https://www.u4.no/publications/corruption-in-universities-paths-to-integrity-in-the-higher-education-subsector        Asset declaration by new Cabinet advances transparency, say political analysts.  “The move to get members of the new Cabinet to declare their assets should be welcomed as a symbol of the transparency of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government which aims to be free of any element of corruption, says political analyst Assoc Pr...

PNG: Informal systems of reciprocity, service delivery and corruption.  Rather than judging the system to be good or bad, we describe its role as falling along a continuum, ranging from providing potentially lifesaving benefits to encouraging corruption. https://devpolicy.org/informal-systems-of-reciprocity-service-delivery-and-corruption-20200306/ PNG police reform starts with hierarchy in Port Moresby.  Papua New Guinea's Police Minister says a major reform of the constabulary is targetting poor administration and corruption. https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/411600/png-police-reform-starts-with-hierarchy-in-port-moresby Manus Island contractor's lobbying efforts in PNG revealed for the first time.  Mr Stewart, who is understood to have authorised the Trakpro payment, also raised the matter at the next Paladin board meeting and called for the company to establish a "bribery and corruption policy", according to an email to ...

Information and Accountability: Evidence Syntheses of Within Government and Citizen-Government Accountability Pathways (Resource).   “…a high-level summary of evidence from a detailed evidence syntheses on within-government and citizen-government accountability actors and pathways. These pathways provide one framework to understand existing evidence on how information affects government accountability.” MIT Governance Lab/Transparency & Accountability Initiative: https://www.transparency-initiative.org/reports/5826/preface-evidence-syntheses-accountability-pathways/     Two problems of corruption research (Blog).  “…two problems of corruption research are (1) that its universal definition does not help achieve a concrete comprehension of its manifestations in specific contexts; and (2) that the use of perception-based indices does not offer a real understanding of the size of the phenomenon.” Gian Marco Mois...

TDRI chief offers ways of ending graft.   “Cutting down on monopolies, boosting accountability and limiting official powers are key to solving corruption problems, says Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).” Dumrongkiat Mala/Bangkok Post:  https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1875919/tdri-chief-offers-ways-of-ending-graft       Supreme Court Overturns Graft Conviction of Ex-Pertamina President.  “The [Indonesian] Supreme Court has acquitted Karen Agustiawan, the former president director of state-run oil company Pertamina, of graft charges by overturning an earlier district court verdict that saw her guilty of corruption and sentenced her to eight years' imprisonment. Karen was previously implicated in a graft scandal concerning Pertamina's participating interest in Australia's Basker Manta Gummy oil fields and found guilty in June last year.” Fana Supar...

Breaking the silence around sextortion: the links between power, sex and corruption (Report).   “This report assesses the state of knowledge about the links between corruption and sextortion. It presents evidence on the prevalence of sextortion and the existing legal frameworks to address it, and it proposes recommendations for how to tackle it.” Transparency International:  https://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/publication/breaking_the_silence_around_sextortion   Reforms without transparency ineffective (Opinion).   “[The ruling party] should be the facilitator of business and trade through transparent and prudent policies and fair implementation of the rules and regulations.” Mansoor Ahmad/The News: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/625408-reforms-without-transparency-ineffective   Top graft buster is new MACC chief.   “It is a responsibility which Datuk Seri Azam Baki (pic) will shoulder with honour as h...

KPK’s new code of ethics promotes synergy with other institutions: Supervisory council.  “Previously, the KPK values included religiosity, integrity, justice, professionalism and leadership… Synergy replaces religiosity as the council believes that it is inherent and already encompasses the other values.” The Jakarta Post: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/05/kpks-new-code-of-ethics-promotes-synergy-with-other-institutions-supervisory-council.html     Using information to ensure access to health care (Blog).  “Samadhigama Base Hospital in Sri Lanka was understaffed and only open two days a week. Using the right to information helped residents to pressure authorities into providing the health care they had committed to.” Transparency International: https://voices.transparency.org/using-information-to-ensure-access-to-health-care-dd49fde1c58a   No passports for corrupt Central govt officers. ...

Bribery, corruption on the rise in PH – report.   “Bribery and corruption in the Philippines have spiked in the last two years, with a fifth of businesses saying they were made to pay grease money, a global survey [by PricewaterhouseCoopers] disclosed.” Melissa Luz Lopez/CNN Philippines: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/3/3/Bribery-corruption-fraud-PwC.html       The deafening silence around sextortion.  “To enable adequate prosecution of sextortion and get justice for those affected, all governments should develop a legal definition and framework for sextortion.  Existing legal frameworks have too many gaps and leave some forms of sexual extortion unaddressed.” Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/the_deafening_silence_around_sextortion   Malaysia's anti-corruption chief who investigated 1MDB resigns.   “Latheefa Koya of the Malaysian Anti-Corrupt...

Malaysia's new PM says will prioritize stamping out corruption, abuse of power.   ‘“The government under my leadership will prioritize efforts to increase the integrity and good practices by government. This includes efforts to stamp out corruption and abuse of power and improving enforcement and the relevant laws, regulations and practices,” Muhyiddin said in his first speech since being sworn in as premier’ Joseph Sipalan/Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-politics-muhyiddin/malaysias-new-pm-says-will-prioritize-stamping-out-corruption-abuse-of-power-idUSKBN20P1Z1   India Failing To Make Progress In Its Campaign Against Corruption (Opinion).   “India’s enormous economic promise makes it virtually impossible to ignore. But companies conducting business there need not look any further than the latest [Corruption Perception Index] to recognize the formidable risks India poses to their operations....

Are Financial Declaration Systems Creating Opportunities for Corrupt Extortion? (Blog).   “There are important ongoing debates about the appropriate design of financial disclosure systems, including questions about whether the disclosures should be public or kept confidential, who should be required to submit disclosures (and how often), what sort of information should be required (and at what level of detail), whether and how declarations should be independently verified, the appropriate institution to manage the system, and the appropriate penalties for noncompliance” Matthew Stephenson/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2020/03/03/are-financial-declaration-systems-creating-opportunities-for-corrupt-extortion/   Phnom Penh Court finds provincial officials guilty of corruption.  “the convicts were arrested…by the Anti-Corruption Unit during a sting operation at a restaurant in Pursat after being...

Reparations for Corruption: How Corruption Enforcement Ignores Victims’ Rights.   “...Airbus, a European aircraft maker, announced a USD 4 billion settlement with US, UK, and France authorities…Regretfully, as we see all too often, these settlements will not include reparations to the people or communities affected by the bribery and corruption. Despite early and persistent requests, these victims were left out of the bargain. Juanita Olaya Garcia/Tufts University: https://sites.tufts.edu/ihs/reparations-for-corruption-how-corruption-enforcement-ignores-victims-rights/   Myanmar govt faces setbacks in enforcing compliance with EITI database.  The government says it lacks the mechanisms to force companies to disclose ownership information through a public registry, which are part of recent measures to clean up corruption in the extractive industry. John Liu and Thompson Chau/Myanmar Times: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-govt...

Thai PM to reform military to curb corruption.   “Thailand’s military is being reformed to reduce corruption among military commanders, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said… The issue of high-ranking commanders ordering soldiers to serve them by running their errands was mentioned by the PM, who said that there would be punishment for such behaviour.” The Star: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2020/02/28/thai-pm-to-reform-military-to-curb-corruption      Kim Jong Un sacks top officials for “corruption” in meeting on coronavirus.   “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led an enlarged Political Bureau meeting primarily on the country’s coronavirus prevention efforts, where he dismissed two top officials for what appear to be related “corrupt” acts, the Party daily Rodong Sinmun and Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported” Colin Zwirko/NK News: https://www.nknews.org/2020/...

PNG: PNG Parliament adjourns with govt urging O'Neill to move.  Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Davis Steven thanked MPs for voting unanimously for the Whistleblowers Act, which provides protection for those who report on corruption. https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/410419/png-parliament-adjourns-with-govt-urging-o-neill-to-move     FIJI: Former Fiji Commerce Commission CEO’s no case to answer matter today Former CEO Bobby. Maharaj is charged with one count of Abuse of Office. https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/court/former-fiji-commerce-commission-ceos-no-case-to-answer-matter-today/   SOLOMON ISLANDS: USD $100 Billion loan – new twist.  The leader of Opposition Hon. Matthew Wale has expressed great shock at the report in Solomon Star on Tuesday 25th February 2020 of new information coming out from inside sources within the Prime Minister’s Office that the USD11 Bn commission from the proposed ...

Can you spot red flags in government contracts? (Blog).  “At a recent investigative journalism conference called Muckraking for the Public Good, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) senior reporter Karol Ilagan talked about the red flags to watch out for when investigating public contracts.” Adelle Chua/Hivos:https://sea.hivos.org/story/can-you-spot-red-flags-in-government-contracts/   Thailand holds first censure debate in 7 years.  “The debate…will focus on controversial issues. It will go as far back as the coup and corruption allegations made against the military regime, which was in power until the middle of last year.” Hathai Techakitteranun/The Straits Times:  https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/thailand-holds-first-censure-debate-in-7-years        Ex-company co-director and former bank telecom and network manager fined $30,000 each for graft.  “A telecom an...