Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (29 February 2020): PNG, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands

-

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 USD100 Bn loan includes payments to senior MPs within Sogavare’s government.

http://www.solomonstarnews.com/index.php/news/national/item/22843-usd-100-billion-loan-new-twist

 

COOK ISLANDS

‘No professional misconduct’.  The Cook Islands Law Society filed a complaint with the High Court, saying he was guilty of professional misconduct and bringing the profession into disrepute.

http://cookislandsnews.com/national/local/item/76026-no-professional-misconduct

 

To know more about the UN Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Project please contact the team members:

Annika Wythes, Regional Anti-Corruption Adviser, UNODC, annika.wythes@un.org

 

Popular posts from this blog

Middle East & North Africa - Ukraine - Sri Lanka

-
Corruption fuels ongoing conflict. The Middle East and North Africa has been in a decline on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for years. The region is also ranked as the "least peaceful region" according to the Global Peace Index. Transparency International (TI) argues that corruption, conflict, and security are profoundly intertwined. TI: https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2022-middle-east-north-africa-corruption-fuels-ongoing-conflict   [Opinion] Ukraine's corruption purge is setting the stage for private investment-driven recovery. Corruption is regarded as a key threat to the Ukrainian economy, depriving public budgets and discouraging foreign direct investments (FDI). The current administration has taken strong anti-corruption action, and the country has witnessed a significant increase in FDI in recent years, says author. DevDiscourse: https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/2353089-ukraines-corruption-purge-setting-stage-...
Read more

The Pacific - Nepal - Eastern Europe & Central Asia

-
[Blog] How are perceptions of corruption in seven small Pacific countries? Larger Pacific Island neighbors are often garnering the lion's share of attention both from researchers and policy makers. How are the experiences of corruption in countries like Tuvalu, Tokelau, Niue, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), The Cook Islands, Palau, and Nauru? DevPolicy Blog: https://devpolicy.org/perceptions-of-corruption-in-seven-small-pacific-island-countries-20230223/   [Opinion] Two decades of new anti-corruption law in Nepal: Why it missed its mark. According to a Nepalese journalist, the Anti-Corruption law and Prevention of Corruption act of 2002 laid the foundation for numerous investigations, scandals, and court cases. To a large extent, they did however fail to enable significant conviction and return of assets. Online Khabar: https://english.onlinekhabar.com/anti-corruption-law-missing-target.html   [Blog] Growing security risks and authorit...
Read more

Global - Sub-Saharan Africa - Turkey & Syria

-
Invisible Trillions review: Global capitalism operates beyond the rule of law and threatens democracy. Raymond W. Baker's new book "Invisible Trillions" argues that "secrecy has become as important for corporations as transparent and taxable profits used to be". "Only radical improvements across the globe in financial transparency and accountability, and in regulatory capacity and integrity, can break this cycle of political decay and despair". The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/invisible-trillions-review-global-capitalism-operates-beyond-the-rule-of-law-and-threatens-democracy-199311   [Blog] The dynamics of violent extremism in sub-Saharan Africa. There is no better environment for the expansion of violent extremist groups than a vacuum in state authority. These groups begin to compete with the state and may even be initially attractive to communities weary of years of lawlessness, corruption, and chaos according to autho...
Read more