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The 19 th International Anti-Corruption Conference starts today.  IACC 2020 will run from 30 November to 5 December, featuring more than 500 expert speakers from diverse fields such as journalism, business, arts, and activism. There are over 100 workshops and 6 plenary sessions, see the full agenda and register via the link below to join the sessions for free! Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/en/news/the-iacc-goes-virtual-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-19th-international-anti-corruption-conference   Ex-CEO of glove company slapped with RM145 mil false claims, CBT charges.   “Ex-CEO of glove company slapped with RM145 mil (approx. US$ 35.6 mil) false claims, [Criminal Breach of Trust] charges… Lee Song Hon, who was previously with WRP Asia Pacific Bhd, was charged with three counts of submitting false claims amounting to RM8.4 million (approx. US$ 2 mil), through false invoices in the name of Tower Success Gro...

UNDP workshops at the 19 th International Anti-Corruption Conference.   Please see the flyer in the link below for more details on the timing of UNDP’s workshops at the IACC next week. Topics range from the next generation of anti-corruption priorities, to lessons learned from Republic of Korea on effective strategies and innovative partnerships, digitalization for anti-corruption, as well as youth as game changers in the Pacific. UNDP: https://anti-corruption.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/UNDP-Flyer-19th-IACC-Workshops.pdf   Addressing corruption risks in the age of COVID-19: Preventing and managing conflicts of interest in the public sector (Blog).  “The World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have joined forces to produce a Good Practices Guide on Preventing and Managing Conflicts of Interest in the Public Sector . This Guide has been developed at ...

Why Asia is losing its war on drugs (Opinion).  “The winners are well-organized professional crime cartels with global reach that continue to diversify and expand their operations while corrupting and undermining any official capacity for serious response.” Anthony Davis/Asia Times: https://asiatimes.com/2020/11/blind-eyes-and-payoffs-fuel-asias-drug-boom/   South Korea’s Moment for Chaebol Reform is Now (Blog).   “[Chaebols are] the massive, dynastically controlled business conglomerates that are the cornerstones of the South Korean economy]…routinely implicated in scandal after scandal…First, President Moon should push for updating South Korea’s sentencing codes to remove the loopholes that judges can deplay at their discretion…Second, [he] should make clear his opposition to giving chaebols…special treatment…Third, [he] ought to encourage all government figures…to keep their distance fro...

Anti-graft measures ‘must be retained’.  “Mana Nimitmongkol, secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT), has called for rigorous anti-graft measures in the current constitution to be retained in any future charter amendments.” Mongkol Bangprapa/Bangkok Post: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2023127/anti-graft-measures-must-be-retained   Anti-corruption committee discusses recommendations to improve governance and integrity.   “The Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption…has agreed on several recommendations to improve governance and integrity, as well as to combat graft, in [Malaysia]… "This includes making the [Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission] Report Feedback Status Monitoring and the [Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission] report as a permanent agenda in national, state or department-level Anti-Corruption Committee meetings."” Hana Naz Harun...

Anti-graft group worried over systemic corruption among civil servants.  “Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) has voiced concern over the systemic corruption among civil servants following the crippling of an immigration syndicate which involved Immigration Department officers.” Free Malaysia Today: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/11/18/anti-graft-group-worried-over-systemic-corruption-among-civil-servants/   Tackling forestry corruption in Indonesia (Resource).   “In collaboration with the [Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)], the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre undertook a systematic analysis of the KPK’s case verdicts related to forestry sector corruption in order to gain insights for the agency’s prosecution and prevention strategy…Based on what it has requested in its indictments, the KPK can be considered relatively successful. ” Sofie Arjon Schutte and Laode ...

Agenda for 19 th International Anti-Corruption Conference now available.  “The 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference has announced its line-up of workshops, plenaries, awards and film screenings, under the theme Designing 2030: Trust, Truth and Transparency . The world’s largest independent forum for anti-corruption will be held online for the first time, free and open to all, and is hosted by the Republic of Korea from 30 November to 5 December 2020” Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/en/press/agenda-for-19th-international-anti-corruption-conference-now-available      University student suspended after reporting rector over alleged graft.   “Semarang State University (Unnes) in Central Java has suspended a student for six months after he reported the university’s rector to the [Indonesian] Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)…claiming he had found irregularities in the univers...

All Hands on Deck: Harnessing accountability through external public audits (Report).  “In this report, we examine the strength of the audit and oversight systems across the world and provide guidance to various stakeholders on how to tackle identified weaknesses…On a global scale, the data indicate a weak performance on oversight. The average score for the 117 countries surveyed is only 37 out of 100.” International Budget Partnership: https://www.internationalbudget.org/publications/all-hands-on-deck-harnessing-accountability-through-external-public-audits/   MACC chief wans spectre of corruption, power abuse looms large on the horizon.   “Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Datuk Seri Azam Baki said that the anti-graft body is expecting an increase in corrupt practices and power abuse in Malaysia in the coming years. He said this is due to the vulnerable and complex environment that Malaysia currently...

Stealing from the poor (Opinion).   “The government had set aside Tk 1,250 crore (approx. US$ 148 mil) to give Tk 2,500 each [US$30] to 50 lakh [5 million] hardest-hit victims. According to [Transparency International-Bangladesh's] latest survey report, 69 percent of the surveyed listed poor are yet to receive a single taka even after six months had elapsed. For those who received money, 56 percent were victims of irregularities and corruption.” Mahfuz Anam/The Daily Star: https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/the-third-view/news/stealing-the-poor-1994053   Governance Challenges in Tackling Corona Virus (Part II) (Report).   Transparency International Bangladesh released a comprehensive review of governance challenges in the country’s response to COVID-19, from lack of disclosure of purchase information, irregularities and corruption in the health sector, to lack of medical waste management. Note: Part I (from June 2020) can be found her...

How Thailand is cutting infrastructure costs with transparency.  “The more public participation, the more transparency there is, [Pattaraporn Vorasaph, Deputy Director of Thailand’s Comptroller General’s Department] says. “We can reduce corruption because we publish everything that the public wants to know, and they can audit for us.” Citizens can also call or email the team if they find something wrong or suspicious.” Shirley Tay: https://govinsider.asia/smart-gov/comptroller-generals-department-pattaraporn-vorasoph-how-thailand-is-cutting-infrastructure-costs-with-transparency/   Waking the Trillion-Dollar Giant: Sustainable Public Procurement and the 2030 SDG Agenda (Resource).   “Is it reasonable to expect companies inside China to comply with foreign laws that can’t be enforced against them? The [U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Office of Foreign Assets Control] trade sanctions, anti-money laundering r...

Vaccinating against corruption? (Blog).  “At the [TI] Health Initiative we see the need for civil society to engage with governments in the planning and monitoring of distribution… We are also looking at how we can work with governments and those distributing vaccines to ensure that supply chains have corruption safeguards in place, and to ensure that systems are in place to actively monitor the implementation of the framework and vaccine rollout.” Jonathan Cushing/Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/vaccinating-against-corruption     ‘Modi’s Rockefeller’: Gautam Adani and the concentration of power in India.   “Critics say his rise is symbolic of a system where too much power is in the hands of too few. When the Indian government approved the privatisation of six airports in 2018, it relaxed the rules to widen the pool of competition, allowing companies without any experience ...

More transparency needed in budget expenditure, says Ong.  “[Malaysian] MP Ong Kian Ming has called for more transparency in the 2021 budget, stating that the record-setting RM69 billion in development expenditure included funding for unspecified projects. “For example, the allocation for ‘special projects’ under the Prime Minister’s Department has increased from RM100 million in 2020 to RM1 billion in 2021,” he said.” Free Malaysia Today: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/11/09/more-transparency-needed-in-budget-expenditure-says-ong/   More value-add, transparency needed for Myanmar economy (Opinion).   “There is still some corruption left in the system and this should be reduced much further under the new government. But the flaw is the lack of standard operating procedure and transparency in the system, which encourages corruption.” U Aung Ko Ko [local economist] said” C...

[TODAY] High-level Virtual Panel: “The Future of ESG Investing in ASEAN” | ASEAN Business Investment Summit 2020.  ESG investing is not just about shareholder returns; it is about helping companies become more resilient and investing in a fairer, cleaner, healthier and more equitable society. Join the discussion at 10:35-12:15 (GMT+7) to find out more! Register here to join the panel: https://abis2020.vn/en/register.asp      Future of socially responsible investing in SE Asia (Opinion).   “In Europe, assets in sustainable investment products are forecast to grow from 15% to 57% of their overall fund size by 2025. With a young population, burgeoning middle class, and growing economic clout, Southeast Asia can and must set a similarly high bar to attract, retain and deploy [Environmental, Social and Governance] investments.” Kanni Wignaraja/Asia Times: https://asiatimes.com/2020/11/future-of-socially-responsible-investi...

KPK to help UK’s antigraft agency in probe into Bombardier-Garuda graft case.   “[Indonesia’s] Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is set to help the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) probe corruption allegedly committed by Canada-based airplane manufacturer Bombardier Inc in a deal with national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. The agency had long forged collaborations with foreign legal authorities through agent to agent or mutual legal assistance (MLA) schemes” Alya Nurbaiti/The Jakarta Post: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/11/07/kpk-to-help-uks-antigraft-agency-in-probe-into-bombardier-garuda-graft-case.html      The need for CoST: Strengthening economies and improving lives (Resource).   “…increasing infrastructure transparency, participation, and accountability helps to drive reforms that reduce mismanagement, inefficiency and corruption. Applying this approach results in cost sa...

Insights into emergency procurement: experiences from 12 countries (Blog/Report).   “[The] findings, from new research on emergency procurement in 12 countries, illustrate how governments, civil society, and development organizations around the world are struggling to ensure that the COVID-19 emergency response spending is being used effectively, efficiently and accountably… Many of the researchers also discovered serious issues with the quality, timeliness, and completeness in the published data.” Direct link to the report: https://www.open-contracting.org/resources/action-research-lessons-covid19/ Lindsey Marchessault and Camila Salazar/Open Contracting Partnership: https://www.open-contracting.org/2020/10/29/insights-into-emergency-procurement-experiences-from-12-countries/     PwC’s Thailand Economic Crime and Fraud Survey 2020 (Report).   “This year’s survey shows a drop in reported incidents from 2018.....

High-level Virtual Panel: “The Future of ESG Investing in ASEAN” | ASEAN Business Investment Summit 2020.   How much impact is ESG investing currently having in ASEAN? And what more needs to be done to speed up and scale up the impact? Join the discussion on Friday, 13th November 2020 at 10:35-12:15 Indochina Time to learn more from distinguished speakers from leading investment companies including Aberdeen Standard (Singapore), Sintesa Group (Indonesia), Premier Group (Thailand) and Patamar Capital (Viet Nam). Register here: https://abis2020.vn/en/register.asp   Another social media supporter in Jokowi’s campaign named state enterprise commissioner.   “The [Indonesian] government has named social media influencer Kristia Budiyarto an independent commissioner for state-owned ferry operator PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni), marking yet another avid supporter of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo being appointed to a positi...

Analysts: Philippine President Talks Big but Underperforms in Combating Graft (Opinion).   “Last week, the president announced that he would devote the last two years of his six-year term to purging government of graft, as he ordered the formation of a task force to go after dirty officials…[But the] creation of the new task force seems superfluous because an Office of the Ombudsman already exists for such a mission, but the move is likely intended to further boost Duterte’s image as a strongman and law and order president, analysts say.” Aie Balagtas See/Benar News: https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/Duterte-corruption-11032020155421.html   ‘NAB believes in ‘accountability for all’ to end corruption’.  “[Pakistan] National Accountability Bureau Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal…said due to vigorous prosecution, NAB’s conviction ratio is about 68.8 per cent which is one of ...

Review of Gemma Aiolfi’s Anticorruption Compliance for Small and Mid-Sized Organizations (Blog/Book review).  “If there is one point I wish Aiolfi had stressed, it would be the appointment of the compliance officer.  Too many times when a company decides to establish a program, it turns to an outsider to head it, often someone from the “compliance industry.” While this can work, much better is to hire from within, someone who understands the company’s operations and, more importantly, is respected and trusted by fellow employees.” Richard Messick/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2020/10/28/review-of-gemma-aiolifis-anticorruption-compliance-for-small-and-mid-sized-organizations/   Iranian diabetic patients dig for vital medicines amid corruption.   “The plight of Iranian diabetic patients has entered the public sphere as a shortage of vital insulin pens threatens their lives, a...

New regulation clarifies KPK supervision of police, AGO.  “The regulation, signed by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo…details how the [Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission] KPK is to monitor and review the progress of investigations conducted by the [National Police and the Attorney General’s Office]. It was issued as an implementing regulation of the 2019 KPK Law, which grants the commission the power to supervise and take over cases but does not explain how it will do so.” Galih Gumelar and Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie/The Jakarta Post: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2020/11/01/new-regulation-clarifies-kpk-supervision-of-police-ago.html      World Bank supports stronger PFM and digital services in Punjab.   “Public finance management reforms in the Pakistani state of Punjab have been boosted by $304m of World Bank financing…“the programme will help the provincial government expand its...

Corruption and the COVID-19 Vaccine: The Looming Problem of Distribution (Blog).   “Fortunately, there are a number of familiar steps that might be taken to reduce the risks and effects of corruption in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution process. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) authored a report in 2011 describing tools and best practices to combat corruption in health, including specific recommendations for distributing drugs and equipment supplies.” Direct link to the UNDP report: https://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Democratic%20Governance/IP/Anticorruption%20Methods%20and%20Tools%20in%20Health%20Lo%20Res%20final.pdf   Zachary Meskell/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2020/10/26/corruption-and-the-covid-19-vaccine-the-looming-problem-of-distribution/   Transport Ministry unveils anti-graft blueprint.   “[The Malaysian] Transport Ministry (MoT) has launched its Organisat...

Exporting corruption report: A timely alert for Bangladesh (Blog).  “[Bangladesh’s] leading foreign trade partners are among those it categorized as dismally failing to enforce committed action against foreign bribery…[it] stands to lose the most by turning a blind eye to its commercial partners’ corrupt practices.”   Iftekhar Zaman/Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/exporting-corruption-report-a-timely-alert-for-bangladesh   Goldman Sachs’ involvement in 1MDB scandal is a warning for financial sector (Opinion).   “For starters, the cooperation between banks and governments must have principles and bottom lines, and should be conducted in compliance with laws and regulations…Secondly, a financial institution must adhere to the principles it claims…Thirdly, the internal control of a financial company is the lifeblood of the company, and it must not become just an embel...