Thailand SEA-PAC Meeting / Malaysia 1MDB deal / Informal network research

NACC Hosts 15th South East Asia Parties Against Corruption (SEA-PAC) Principals Meeting in Bangkok.  The National Anti-Corruption Commission of Thailand (NACC) hosted the 15th South East Asia Parties Against Corruption (SEA-PAC) Principals Meeting and related workshops at the Royal Orchid Sheraton in Bangkok during 8-10 October 2019. The meeting offered the platform for all the ten SEA-PAC delegations to present their respective progress in anti-corruption implementation. SEA-PAC Action Plan for 2020-22 has been adopted and topics on Denying Safe Haven to Corrupt Officials and Stolen Assets, and Effective Anti-Bribery Measures for Private Sector to Prevent Bribery of Public Officials were discussed. Moreover, the SEA-PAC members jointly agreed to change the group’s name from SEA-PAC (South East Asia Parties Against Corruption) to ASEAN-PAC (ASEAN Parties Against Corruption) to reflect its status as an entity associated with ASEAN.

NACC: https://www.nacc.go.th/ewt_news.php?nid=25293&filename=index_en

 

Jho Low comes clean on 1MDB fraud role.  The Jho Low deal, if approved by a US federal judge, would help resolve forfeiture cases tied to financial, who prosecutors say orchestrated the theft of $4.5 billion from 1MDB that was funneled into buying a private jet, a super-yacht, mansions, luxury jewelry, fine art and even Hollywood movie productions.

Asia Times: https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/10/article/jho-low-comes-clean-on-1mdb-fraud-role/

 

Harnessing informality for anti-corruption practice: Shifting the unit of analysis from individuals to networks (Blog).  “Adopting a perspective that puts networks at the centre helps understand some of the shortcomings of conventional anti-corruption instruments… the informal networks we have studied often are bound together by culture-bound social norms such as loyalty, reciprocity, or solidarity, and the behaviours and expectations of members are very much shaped by the sense of belonging to the group.”

Claudia Baez Camargo/Anti-Corruption Evidence Research Programme: https://ace.globalintegrity.org/informality/