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A Reminder: Year-to-Year CPI Comparisons for Individual Countries are Meaningless, Misleading, and Should Be Avoided (Blog).  “In brief, score changes can sometimes be driven by technical changes (such as changes in the underlying sources used to calculate the scores), and there’s so much statistical noise in the CPI estimates that small changes are often not statistically meaningful–and even for those changes that are statistically significant at conventional levels, one would expect that in a sample of 180 countries, some would exhibit “statistically significant” changes even if it were all random noise.” Matthew Stephenson/The Global Anticorruption Blog:  https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2019/01/29/a-reminder-year-to-year-cpi-comparisons-for-individual-countries-are-meaningless-misleading-and-should-be-avoided/   Procurement sector records highest corruption complaints.   It was revealed during the launch of ...

Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 (Resource).   More than two-thirds of countries score below 50 on this year’s CPI, with an average score of just 43.  Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018   PM launches Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Plan.   The National Anti-Corruption Plan 2019-2023 (NACP) launched by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad seeks to deal with the country’s four main causes of corruption: administrative failure (the manipulation of systems and procedures), conflict of interest (relating to discretionary power, absolute power and political interference), weak internal control and non-compliance, and a lack of transparency. Bernama: http://www.bernama.com/en/general/news.php?src=ilaw&id=1689930   University councillors escape asset declarations.   The Thai National Anti-Corruption Commission has decided to exempt university council chairs and members from having to decla...

Macron tells Abe he is worried about Carlos Ghosn's time in prison.  The French president’s comment on the ex-Nissan chief’s detention since Ghosn was indicted for allegedly understating his income at Nissan and transferring personal trading losses to the carmaker. The Japan Times: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/01/28/national/politics-diplomacy/macron-tells-abe-worried-carlos-ghosns-time-prison/#.XE6yfVwzaUk   Indonesia takes steps to trace stolen assets hidden abroad.  Indonesian President Joko Widodo has revealed that after several years of delay, Indonesia and Switzerland will soon ratify a Mutual Legal Assistance agreement which will make it possible to trace illegal financial activities between Indonesian and Swiss financial institutions. Ahmad Novindri Aji Sukma/Asia Times: http://www.atimes.com/indonesia-takes-steps-to-trace-stolen-assets-hidden-abroad   Hong Kong’s Hung Hom station is safe and building must go o...

Powerful tool or paper tiger? Integrity Pacts reality checked – Part 1 (Blog).  “Claim #1: Having an Integrity Pact is a certification of a corruption-free procedure. Reality Check: Sadly not!” Transparency International:  https://voices.transparency.org/powerful-tool-or-paper-tiger-integrity-pacts-reality-checked-part-1-88da22db740d   Deloitte and KPMG investigated over involvement in Malaysia’s 1MDB corruption scandal.  The Malaysian Securities Commission confirms it is looking to the firms to determine if they were “aiding and abetting in this scandal, or merely negligent.”; this move comes after criminal charges have already been filed against Goldman Sachs. Tashny Sukumaran/South China Morning Post: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2183715/abetting-scandal-or-merely-negligent-deloitte-and-kpmg   #NepalLeaks: How Illegal Funds Are Channeled Into Nepal In the Name Of Foreign Direct Invest...

The effect of corruption perception on tax revenues (Op-ed).  “The effect that corruption perception can have on tax revenue collection is interesting, since citizens might find a moral ground to evade taxes.” Meliha Ahmed/Dhaka Tribune: https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2019/01/21/the-effect-of-corruption-perception-on-tax-revenues   Graft cases on the rise in Malaysia because people no longer fear reporting them: PM Mahathir.  Speaking on Malaysia’s experiences in fighting corruption at the International Anti-Corruption Academy, Dr Mahathir said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government is giving people who report corruption cases more protection under the whistleblowers act. Asia News Network: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/malaysia-corruption-cases-rise-mahathir-11151114   Hopes of ending graft lie in presidential support (Analysis).   “If the President can control corruption in the police and prose...

FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA: Businessman charged with bribing Hawaii, FSM officials . A Hawaii businessman has been charged with dishing out bribes of nearly half a million dollars to officials in Hawaii and the Federated States of Micronesia. https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/380539/businessman-charged-with-bribing-hawaii-fsm-officials Public Auditor hosts talent show for International Anti-Corruption Day. The Pohnpei Office of the State Public Auditor (POPA) united with the Youth-4-Change to commemorate the International Anti-Corruption Day at the Kolonia/China Friendship Gymnasium http://www.kpress.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1194:public-auditor-hosts-talent-show-for-international-anti-corruption-day&catid=8&Itemid=103   SAMOA: “What corruption?” Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi yesterday rejected allegations of corruption within the Government and the public servi...

Chinese drone maker DJI uncovers corruption, sees $150 million loss. China’s SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, the world’s largest maker of consumer drones, has discovered several cases of serious corruption at the company and expects 2018 losses of more than 1 billion yuan ($150 million) as a result.   Josh Horwitz and Brenda Goh/ Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-dji/chinese-drone-maker-dji-uncovers-corruption-sees-150-million-loss-idUSKCN1PC158   Putting a stamp on graft.   An anti-graft study programme at Thai universities lies at the kernel of "Youngsters with Good Hearts", an anti-corruption curriculum for students in tertiary education designed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission with the support of United Nations Development Programme. Apiradee Treerutkuarkul/Bangkok Post: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1614002/   NGO: Detailed evidence more important than screen captures, photos in c...