Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (27 June 2020): PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati,Vanuatu

-

COVID-19 – the Pacific response: 24 June. The legislation which replaced it, the National Health Emergency Act 2020, has been criticised this week by anti-corruption agency Transparency International PNG, with critics claiming that it restricts citizens’ rights for an indefinite period with no parliamentary oversight.  

  

PNG:  

Australia must toughen up as well as step up in Papua New Guinea. Legislation to establish the long-promised, and long-delayed, PNG anti-corruption commission is now very close to becoming a reality.  

  

PNG parliament speaker resigns from party. The MP for Manus recently acknowledged fraud allegations against him circulating on social media, and told parliament he was willing to step aside if an investigation was conducted into his office. 

  

 

FIJI:   

FICAC to investigate alleged corruption at Housing Authority. The Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption confirms they have received a complaint in relation to the allegations of corruption at the Housing Authority. 

  

Transparency and accountability. Today, corruption is rife and can be found almost anywhere – schools, churches, sporting associations, professional groups, unions, businesses, clubs, political parties, communities, universities, right up to government institutions. 

  

'Witch-hunts' and whistleblowers: University of the South Pacific in crisis. Vice-chancellor Pal Ahluwalia suspended, then reinstated after he alleged widespread financial irregularities 

  

 

SAMOA:  

Culture, constitution and controversy in Samoa. There are long delays in hearings, there have been cases of judicial corruption, and decisions made by judges can be unclear or contradictory. 

  

 

TONGA:  

Tonga govt reveals deficit busting plan. The opposition also questioned the way the road works were to be carried out, especially the bidding process by private companies for contracts, and how corruption in the process, including favoritism and conflicts of interest, would be prevented. 

  

 

KIRIBATI:  

Kiribati president says heated election reflects democracy. The geopolitical dynamics made for a heated election campaign amidst allegations of corruption. 

  

 

VANUATU:  

Inigo Philbrick, art world prodigy, is arrested months after fleeing the US in multimillion-pound art scam. Inigo Philbrick, the elusive contemporary art dealer, both youthful and handsome, who disappeared in October last year after being accused of defrauding clients of more than $20 million between 2016 and 2019, was arrested on Thursday 11 June by US law enforcement agents on the Pacific island of Vanuatu, a barely on the map tax haven with a reputation as ‘a sunny place for shady people’ 

 

 

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

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

Popular posts from this blog

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 authoritarian
Read more

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

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