Philippines local government complaints / Anti-corruption in Security Sector Reform / Pakistan judiciary criticism

Most complaints received by anti-corruption task force involve LGUs’ intervention in public works.  “[The Philippine Justice] department’s Task Force Against Corruption (TFAC) has endorsed several complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman, mostly involving local government officials who are meddling in public works projects.  ”

Bianca Angelica D. Añago/Business World: https://www.bworldonline.com/most-complaints-received-by-anti-corruption-task-force-involve-lgus-intervention-in-public-works/  

 

Mainstreaming Anti-Corruption in SSR (Blog).  “This post discusses what an approach to mainstreaming anti-corruption in SSR could look like in practice...1. Design corruption-responsive [Security Sector Reform] assessments…2. Take measures to address corruption-conflict systems…Looking at the wider picture”

Julien Joly/Tufts University: https://sites.tufts.edu/ihs/mainstreaming-anti-corruption-in-ssr/  

 

Govt, other stakeholders influence judiciary: US State Dept.  “In its latest report, ‘2021 Investment Climate Statements: Pakistan’, the State Department says, “Pakistan’s judiciary is influenced by the government and other stakeholders. The lower judiciary is influenced by the executive branch and seen as lacking competence and fairness. It currently faces a significant backlog of unresolved cases.””

Ansar Abbasi/The News: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/867766-govt-other-stakeholders-influence-judiciary-us-state-dept

Thailand police anti-graft campaign / Philippines pre-State of the Nation Address / Pakistan on UK sanctions

Deal struck to cut police graft.  “The head of [Thai] national police force and National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC)…agreed to join hands in an effort to suppress corruption at the 88 Metropolitan Police stations across the capital…[NACC] signed an agreement with national police chief…to undertake an Integrity and Transparency Assessment at each of the stations.”

King-oua Laohong/Bangkok Post: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2153903/deal-struck-to-cut-police-graft  

 

Duterte administration's fight against corruption: For real, or for reel?.  “As the [Philippine] President's last [State Of the Nation Address] approaches, questions on whether he can really lick corruption or not heats up, especially amid his estrange political ally, Senator Manny Pacquiao stated that the volume of corruption under the Duterte administration has tripled.”

Sherrie Ann Torres/ABS-CBN News: https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/07/23/21/duterte-administrations-fight-against-corruption-for-real-or-for-reel  

 

Nawaz’s London flats fall under UK’s global anti-corruption sanctions: Farrukh.  “[Pakistan’s] Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Friday welcomed the sanctions imposed by Britain on the most corrupt individuals of the world under the UK’s global anti-corruption sanctions regime and called for similar action against Nawaz Sharif.”

Pakistan Today: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2021/07/23/nawazs-london-flats-fall-under-uks-global-anti-corruption-sanctions-farrukh/    

Philippines authoritarianism, corruption psychology / Duty-bearers integrity motivation / Nepal anti-corruption watchdog targets

Understanding Authoritarianism and Corruption in the Philippines (Blog).  “Duterte, Marcos, and other political elites have exploited religious and other psychological predispositions by using system justifying messages to reinforce the legitimacy of corruption and authoritarian domination. Top-down processes of elite communication and bottom-up psychological needs and interests meet in the middle, so that system-justifying messages find their audiences and inflame lower class insecurities.”

Jenavieve Hinton/Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/social-justice-pacifists/202107/understanding-authoritarianism-and-corruption-in-the    

 

What makes frontline duty-bearers act with integrity? 10 key takeaways (Research).  “This research summary provides 10 key takeaways from Integrity Action’s research into the conditions and approaches that influence teachers and health workers to deliver services with integrity.”

Link to full report: https://integrityaction.org/media/17695/research-report_what-makes-frontline-duty-bearers-act-with-integrity_integrity-action_.pdf

Integrity Action: https://integrityaction.org/media/17718/what-makes-frontline-duty-bearers-act-with-integrity_summary_integrity-action.pdf    

 

Nepal’s anti-corruption watchdog haunts low-level staff to leave the big fish aside (Opinion).  “On April 21, the Supreme Court ordered the constitutional anti-corruption body, Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, to stop carrying out sting operations to arrest government staffers receiving bribes. Since the decision, the anti-graft body has relatively been inactive as it has been dealing with minor cases and culprits who have committed major crimes take a sigh of relief.”

Krishna Gyawali/Online Khabar: https://english.onlinekhabar.com/ciaa-nepal-anti-corruption-body-leaves-big-fish-aside.html  

Indonesia infrastructure transparency portal / Pegasus survellaince scandal / Thailand market research approach

CoST West Lombok launches programme with brand new infrastructure data portal.  “As the programme launched, CoST [the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative in West Lombok, Indonesia] was also able to unveil a brand-new infrastructure data portal called INTRAS. CoST West Lombok applied for CoST membership with a plan to build on practices of data-disclosure already embedded in the regency, by developing a data portal based on SISOCS on which data is disclosed according to the Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard.”

CoST – the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative: https://infrastructuretransparency.org/news/cost-west-lombok-launches-with-brand-new-infrastructure-data-portal/

 

Lessons from the Pegasus Project: Reforming Surveillance Through Open Gov (Blog).  “[A] global investigation uncovered how mobile phones of journalists, activists, and opposition leaders across the world were targets of illegal surveillance by at least eleven governments…Governments targeted journalists who were critical of their policies and were investigating systemic corruption. For instance, among those targeted were those who uncovered the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal (1MDB)”

Tonusree Basu/Open Government Partnership: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/stories/lessons-from-the-pegasus-project-reforming-surveillance-through-open-gov/  

 

A Market Research Approach to Encouraging Citizen Participation in Anticorruption (Blog).  “A team at Chulalongkorn University [in Thailand] recently undertook a research project to examine the factors that increase public participation in anticorruption efforts, so as to develop a more effective communication strategy to promote public participation…The study employed a concept used in marketing research called “segmentation,” which seeks to identify latent classes of people—sorted by various characteristics and indicators—who will be more responsive to particular kinds of messaging.”

Torplus Yomnak, Jake Pattaratanakul, Apichart Kanarattanavong, Thanee Chaiwat, and Charoen Sutuktis/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2021/07/13/guest-post-a-market-research-approach-to-encouraging-citizen-participation-in-anticorruption/ 

Philippines pre-State of the Nation address / India media reward program / Thailand police force investigation

SONA 2021: Duterte's anti-corruption legacy: What he said he'll do vs. what he's actually done.  “[With] less than a year to go before he leaves Malacañang, and with the problem still entrenched in some of the government's most corrupt agencies, Duterte has clearly failed to fulfill a major campaign promise.”

AC Nicholls/CNN Philippines: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/7/19/sona-2021-corruption-rodrigo-duterte-administration.html  

 

Why Paying the Media to Uncover Corruption Would Work in India (Blog).  “A rewards program would give media outlets stronger incentive to uncover and report on forms of corruption that are more likely to result in some form of redress, rather than focusing only on those stories that will generate the most “clicks,” regardless of substance…[it] would give media outlets a strong incentive to keep a given case in the news so as to put pressure on the government to prosecute it.”

Disha Verma/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2021/07/16/why-paying-the-media-to-uncover-corruption-would-work-in-india/  

 

Rooting out graft in the force.  “[The Thai police] inspector-general Visanu Prasattongosoth may not have taken up many combat roles during his time in the force, but his strong resolve has allowed him to accomplish the missions he has at hand. Indeed…[he] will need plenty of resolve and hard work to complete his latest assignment -- leading a panel investigating fellow officers suspected of colluding to let Red Bull scion, Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, off the hook in his infamous 2012 hit-and-run case.”

Bangkok Post: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2150947/rooting-out-graft-in-the-force  

COVID vaccination governance brief / Indonesia road project scandal / Malaysia anti-corruption future

Governance and Institutional Issues in COVID-19 Vaccination (Brief).  The purpose of this note is to summarize some of the key governance and institutional issues surrounding rapid universal vaccination, which also includes corruption. The risks  can  be  grouped  into  five  key  areas:  contracting,  physical  distribution,  vaccine integrity,  equity,  and misinformation.

World Bank: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/385081622703715858/governance-and-institutional-issues-in-covid-19-vaccination  

 

A road project in Indonesia’s Gorontalo carves a path of graft and grief.  “More than 1,000 families were entitled to payments for land needed to construct the Gorontalo Outer Ring Road, a national priority infrastructure project on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island... A senior provincial official and two surveyors have been jailed in connections with corruption in the land acquisition process, while another top official is also standing trial.”

Sarjan Lahay/Mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/07/a-road-project-in-indonesias-gorontalo-carves-a-path-of-graft-and-grief/

 

Whither corruption in Malaysia? (Opinion).  “[Whether] it’s the Singapore model or the experience of other countries (including the ones heretofore presented), the government derives its mandate, will/resolve and strength to defeat corruption from the (support of the) people themselves. Let our leaders and administrators and law enforcers (including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission/MACC) never forget this truth.”

Rais Hussin and Jason Loh/Malay Mail: https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2021/07/13/whither-corruption-in-malaysia-rais-hussin-and-jason-loh/1989404   

Myanmar new charges for ex-State Counsellor / Social distancing reduces corruption / Malaysia border control issues

Aung San Suu Kyi slapped with 4 more charges related to corruption.  “According to one of Suu Kyi’s lawyers, Min Min Soe, two new cases were filed against Suu Kyi alone, while one other charge was filed against her and Naypyidaw Mayor Dr Myo Aung, Deputy Mayor Ye Min Oo, and Naypyidaw City Development Committee member Min Thu. The cases were recently filed at the Mandalay Region High Court and the hearing has been set for July 22.”

Coconuts Yangon: https://coconuts.co/yangon/news/aung-san-suu-kyi-slapped-with-4-more-charges-related-to-corruption/  

 

Social Distancing Reduces Corruption Too (Blog).  ““Social distance”…Applied to the findings of Fisman and colleagues and the case studies, it means more than how far apart investigators, prosecutors, auditors, and others responsible for enforcing anticorruption laws stand physically from those whom they police. It means too the absence of school and neighborhood ties, different circles of friends, and the lack of other relationships that would make an individual hesitant to question another’s conduct let alone investigate or arrest them.”

Richard Messick/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2021/07/07/social-distancing-reduces-corruption-too/  

 

Countering terrorism on Malaysia’s borders (Opinion).  “One of the factors that may compromise border security in the Malaysia and hence facilitate the movement of militants is corruption and radicalisation among border and security officials.”

Piya Raj Sukhani/East Asia Forum: https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/07/10/countering-terrorism-on-malaysias-borders/  

Youth anti-corruption funding / Bangladesh public officials accountability / Investigative journalism reward proposal

Call for Concept Notes: Anti-Corruption & Transparency Initiatives Engaging Youth in the Indo-Pacific (ACTIVE Youth) (Funding opportunity).  “NDI seeks to strengthen youth capacity to participate in and collectively act on accountability, transparency, and open government issues through its Anti-Corruption & Transparency Initiatives Engaging Youth in the Indo-Pacific (ACTIVE Youth) program. To accomplish this, NDI is looking to engage with CSOs and networks in Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, and is calling on organizations to submit concept notes for the program. Submissions are due by July 26, 2021.”

National Democratic Institute: https://www.ndi.org/publications/call-concept-notes-anti-corruption-transparency-initiatives-engaging-youth-indo-pacific  

 

ED: Holding public officials accountable for their conduct (Editorial).  “The survey, which was conducted by Drik News and carried out on a total of 94 journalists across 55 organizations, highlights a dangerous trend: Government officials [in Bangladesh] do not see themselves as public servants but rather, as powerful people who can get away with doing whatever they want, and treat the people of this country with disdain and disrespect.”

Dhaka Tribune: https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2021/07/09/ed-holding-public-officials-accountable-for-their-conduct  

 

Breaking News without Breaking the Bank: Monetary Rewards for Media Organizations that Expose Corruption (Blog).  “I propose what may initially seem like a radical way to create stronger incentives for media outlets to invest in this kind of investigative journalism: When media outlets expose corruption or similar wrongdoing, and this exposure leading to monetary sanctions on the culpable entities or individuals, the media outlets responsible for the reporting ought to receive a percentage of the government’s recovery.”

Jennifer Kline/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2021/07/12/breaking-news-without-breaking-the-bank-monetary-rewards-for-media-organizations-that-expose-corruption/  

Myanmar former regional minister accused / Pakistan regional RTI law / India city anti-corruption plan

Myanmar Junta to File Corruption Charges Against NLD Vice Chairman.  The military regime is planning to file corruption charges against National League for Democracy (NLD) Vice Chairman Dr. Zaw Myint Maung and the former Mandalay Region Minister of Electricity, Energy and Construction U Zarni Aung…the military regime has accused him of accepting a bribe from a private company in September 2019, in return for granting land permits in Mandalay.”

The Irrawaddy: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-to-file-corruption-charges-against-nld-vice-chairman.html  

 

GB to make ‘Transparency and Right to Information’ law soon.  “The Gilgit-Baltistan [regional government in Pakistan] has started work on making its own law on the lines of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013.”

Asif Mahmood/The News: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/863065-gb-to-make-transparency-and-right-to-information-law-soon  

 

Chennai corporation draws up 4-step plan to cut corruption.  “The Greater Chennai Corporation [the civic body that governs the city of Chennai] has come up with a four-pronged plan to take on the contractor-official-consultant nexus and curb corruption in contracts to build drains, roads and other civic projects.”

Komal Gautham/The Times of India: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/chennai-corporation-draws-up-4-step-plan-to-cut-corruption/articleshow/84333351.cms   

UNODC Anti-Corruption Newsletter / Illegal enrichment laws / Myanmar detainees extortion

UNODC Southeast Asia Anti-Corruption Newsletter (April - June 2021.  Follow UNODC’s work over the past quarter, ranging from formulating data-driven approaches to anti-corrution across Southeast Asia, to strengthening anti-corruption investigations in Viet Nam.

UNODC: https://mailchi.mp/1617492f7f12/unodc-corruption-newsletter-5553000

 

Illegal Enrichment Laws: Asia’s Ignored Anti-Corruption Weapon (Opinion).  “Unconventionally, these laws do not require prosecutors to show proof that a government official committed a specific crime before a court will order a sanction and confiscate funds. Instead, a court must merely be satisfied that the official enjoyed an amount of wealth that has not been justified by reference to their legal income.”

Andrew Dornbierer/The Diplomat: https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/illegal-enrichment-laws-asias-ignored-anti-corruption-weapon/   

 

Myanmar Junta Extorting Money From Anti-Coup Detainees.  “When no evidence is found to charge those detained on suspicion of being involved in anti-regime activities, authorities put them on a ‘to-be-released list’. Military personnel and police who have access to those lists then contact the relatives of the political detainees via local police, military security affairs officers and military-appointed ward administrators, and deceive them into paying money for their release.”

The Irrawaddy: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-extorting-money-from-anti-coup-detainees.html  

Vaccine procurement guide launch / Thailand vaccine procurement issue / Philippines foreign-funded infrastructure

Bridging the Gap in Vaccine Procurement: How to Build Transparency for Public Trust (Webinar/Resource).  “[We] have created a new guide to fill that gap. Covering 15 priority pieces of information that should be shared along the vaccine procurement cycle, this guide provides in-depth context and examples of what the key issues around vaccine contracting are, and why public disclosure matters. Join our launch event [on Wednesday 14 July, 2pm GMT] as we walk through the key phases of the guide, and share success stories from both governments and civil society around the world”

Direct link to guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CV3wrpXKlNGtl3evfbu1HCETItz1wbiE5HhJyDYcLmY/edit

Open Contracting Partnership: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqf-uprDgjGtB-CG2obpT7OwBraALVLRW6  

 

As COVID-19 Spreads, Thai Govt Stuck in Self-Made Trap (Opinion).  Thailand’s vaccine saga keeps going from bad to worse. Mounting questions have met few answers. For example, to what extent is Thailand’s lack of highly coveted US-made vaccines attributable to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act? The FCPA prohibits US companies from making payments in cash or in kind to foreign officials. American companies and their managers are liable to both jail terms and fines for under-the-table tea money.”

Thitinan Pongsudhirak/The Irrawaddy: https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/as-covid-19-spreads-thai-govt-stuck-in-self-made-trap.html  

 

Transparency, accountability a must in foreigner-funded infrastructure projects in PH–study.  “A locally-published think thank study is batting for increased transparency and accountability from government when it comes to infrastructure projects in the Philippines that have been funded by other nations, particularly China.”

Ellson Quismorio/Manila Bulletin: https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/07/transparency-accountability-a-must-in-foreigner-funded-infrastructure-projects-in-ph-study/   

Discrimination and corruption report / Mining, corruption and COVID-19 / Odebrecht case lessons

Double harm when corruption meets discrimination (News/Resource).  “In this first investigation into how corruption and discrimination interact, [Transparency International and Equal Rights Trust] listened to the experiences of corruption among people facing discrimination and uncovered some disturbing patterns.”

Direct link to report: https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/defying-exclusion-corruption-discrimination

Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/en/news/double-harm-corruption-discrimination-sdgs-leave-no-one-behind  

 

The perfect storm? Mining, corruption and COVID-19 (Blog).  “[Transparency International’s Through the looking glass: Corruption risk in mining licensing and permitting in the pandemic era] report draws on interviews with over 80 mining sector stakeholders, and includes case studies from Canada, Indonesia, Mexico and Zambia. In this blog we profile three key themes that highlight how corruption risk in the mining industry has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Tim Grice and Nicole Bieske/Devpolicy Blog: https://devpolicy.org/the-perfect-storm-mining-corruption-and-covid-19-20210706/

 

What the Odebrecht Case Teaches (Blog).  “International competition for infrastructure contract pays off…Odebrecht reduced the bribe it had agreed to pay the country’s president because he could not force the technical agency in charge of bidding to change the tendering documents. Whenever possible, eliminate subjective criteria for determining the winning bidder…Given the enormous opportunity for abuse when renegotiating a contract during construction, more resources should be devoted to assessing the reasons for the renegotiation and the price agreed to.”

Richard Messick/The Global Anticorruption Blog:  https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2021/06/24/what-the-odebrecht-case-teaches/  

Blockchain in government services / Short guide on social norms / Maritime corruption hotspots survey

How blockchain can help dismantle corruption in government services.  “Blockchain could increase the fairness and efficiency of government systems, while reducing opportunities for corruption; [it] could improve the transparency and disclosure of procurement processes, investment in which can be lost to corruption; [the] emerging technology can also enhance property and land registry systems, streamlining lengthy processes and protecting people's rights.”

Matthew Van Niekerk/World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/blockchain-for-government-systems-anti-corruption/  

 

About the Short Guide – Why Social Norms Matter to Anti-Corruption (Resource).  “This short guide explains why integrating social norms into accountability, corruption or integrity related programming matters and highlights possible negative consequences of the failure to do so. It follows upon our first short guide, which boils down the complexity of social norms  into the need-to-know components relevant to programming.”

Tufts University: https://sites.tufts.edu/ihs/about-the-short-guide-why-social-norms-matter-to-anti-corruption/  

 

MACN Asks Shipping to Help Map Out Corruption Hotspots.  “The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) – a private sector Collective Action network representing 150 companies from across the maritime industry, is asking the industry to help in mapping out corruption hotspots in the port and maritime sector. The data colleted will feed into MACN’s Collective Action Strategy and inform which countries, ports, and corruption hot spots MACN should focus on when implementing its Anti-Corruption Collective Action Initiatives in the coming years.”

Hellenic Shipping News: https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/macn-asks-shipping-to-help-map-out-corruption-hotspots/

Anti-corruption and conflict reading / Cambodia trafficking in persons issue / Philippines procurement corruption allegations

3 Things Peacebuilders Should Read About Anti-corruption and Conflict (Blog).  “[We] share three key texts peacebuilders should read to grasp how anti-corruption practitioners approach dilemmas of conflict and corruption and where peacebuilders can contribute to the conversation. Given how often corruption is identified as a core driver of conflict, we hope peacebuilders can see their own work well-embedded in these articles, albeit in different language.”

Rosemary Ventura/Tufts University: https://sites.tufts.edu/ihs/3-things-peacebuilders-should-read-about-anti-corruption-and-conflict/  

 

2021 Trafficking in Persons Report: Cambodia.  “Endemic corruption and lack of political will continued to severely limit progress in holding traffickers accountable; corruption continued to impede law enforcement operations, criminal proceedings, and victim service provision…The national police maintained a mechanism for NGO workers to report incidents of corruption among anti-trafficking police, but it did not report if it received or responded to any complaints during the reporting period.”

U.S. Embassy in Cambodia: https://kh.usembassy.gov/2021-trafficking-in-persons-report-cambodia/  

 

PNP chief: Body cam procurement fully accounted for.  “Following Sen. Manny Pacquiao's allegations of corruption in numerous government agencies, the chief of the Philippine National Police said that his agency's procurement of hundreds of millions of pesos worth of body cameras was "fully-accounted" for.”

The Philippine Star: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/07/04/2110143/pnp-chief-body-cam-procurement-fully-accounted-for  

Myanmar jade industry / Malaysia transport ministry / Understanding and curbing corruption

Myanmar’s warring military and rebels find common ground in corrupt jade trade.  “A new investigation from watchdog group Global Witness reports that jade mining is a major source of income for both the Myanmar military and armed ethnic groups, fueling conflict in the country…The report also accuses Aung Pyae Son, the son of the general who seized power in a coup in February, of directly benefiting from corruption in the jade trade.”

Andrew Nachemson and Kyaw Hsan Hlaing/Mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/07/myanmars-warring-military-and-rebels-find-common-ground-in-corrupt-jade-trade/     

 

Setting the bar against graft.  “The Transport Minister said the government had earlier launched the National Anti-Corruption Plan (2019-2023)…that outlined the need for every government agency to obtain the Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS) certification…“The development and implementation of the certification of ABMS together with the launch of the Anti-Corruption Management System (SPAR) manual this year shows that the Transport Ministry is heeding the calls by the government to be the benchmark of an excellent organisation in terms of good governance, integrity and anti-corruption,””

The Star: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/07/02/setting-the-bar-against-graft  

 

Understanding corruption and how to curb it: A synthesis of latest thinking (Resource).  “Corruption is complex and resilient and there are limits to what anti-corruption interventions alone can achieve…For development agencies, however, potential success factors include collaboration and coordination, building trust, and seizing opportunities as they arise. It can pay off to build and harness political will and citizen support for good governance, and work to change expectations and reshape the policy arena.”

Cecilie Wathne/U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre: https://www.u4.no/publications/understanding-corruption-and-how-to-curb-it

China-Brazil vaccine licensing / India-Brazil vaccine procurement / Philippines land reclamation issue

China's CanSino cuts ties with Brazil firm, halting vaccine licensing.  “Brazilian health regulator Anvisa has canceled a request for emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's CanSino Biologics Inc after the laboratory cut ties with its Brazilian representative. The move follows a wave of scrutiny in Brazil of vaccine contracts negotiated by intermediaries, a common local practice.”

Reuters: https://news.trust.org/item/20210629130003-jxn8t/  

 

India’s Covid-19 vaccine is at the center of a corruption scandal in Brazil.  “India’s homegrown Covid-19 vaccine is at the epicentre of a controversy again. Brazil’s health minister Marcelo Queiroga announced…the country would suspend a $324 million contract to buy 20 million doses of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. The announcement comes amid a probe into allegations of irregularities in the procurement of the vaccine that are entangling president Jair Bolsonaro,”

Niharika Sharma/Quartz India: https://qz.com/india/2027345/brazil-suspends-deal-with-indias-bharat-biotech-for-covaxin/  

 

Corruption issues force PRRD to halt reclamation projects.  “President Rodrigo Duterte revealed that he thumbed down the proposals of private companies to conduct massive land reclamation activities in Manila Bay because of corruption issues.”

Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos/Philippines News Agency: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1145043