Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (8 August 2020): PNG, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu

PNG:

For all Marape’s achievements in PNG, the biggest challenges await.  Beyond the increase in Covid-19 cases and the effect the virus is having on lives and livelihoods, the government has overcome a court challenge to the election of Prime Minister James Marape and has undertaken some significant law reforms on the mining and anti-corruption fronts.

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/all-marape-s-achievements-png-biggest-challenges-await

 

 

FIJI:

Former Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services employee pleads guilty to corruption related charges.  A former temporary relieving packer with the Fiji Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services has pleaded guilty to causing the Ministry of Health a loss of $4,050.45 in the Suva Magistrates Court

https://www.fijivillage.com/news/Former-Fiji-Pharmaceutical-and-Biomedical-Services-employee-pleads-guilty-to-corruption-related-charges-5rf48x/

 

 

SOLOMON ISLANDS:

Kuma hits back at TSI.  The Minister for Finance and Treasury (MoFT) Harry Kuma has described the media article published by the Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI), as factually incorrect, malicious, and unbecoming of an organization that promotes itself as the beacon of transparency

http://solomonstarnews.com/index.php/news/national/item/23915-kuma-hits-back-at-tsi

 

VANUATU:

Former Vanuatu PM confident of beating corruption charges.  The lawyer for former Vanuatu prime minister Charlot Salwai says his client is confident of winning a corruption trial in the Supreme Court.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/422849/former-vanuatu-pm-confident-of-beating-corruption-charges

 

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

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

Malaysia business integrity / Indonesia new regulation / Anti-corruption and climate action

Activist calls for integrity unit to fight business corruption.  “An Integrity and Governance Unit should be set up to combat corruption and other malpractices in the private sector…to improve existing policies and systems, and monitor enforcement and awareness programmes, said Akhbar Satar (the president of the Malaysia Association of Certified Fraud Examiners).”

Free Malaysia Today: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/08/03/activist-calls-for-integrity-unit-to-fight-business-corruption/  

 

Deterring corruption (Editorial). With the Indonesian Supreme Court Regulation No.1/2020 stipulating that corruption convicts inflicting at least Rp 100 billion (US$6.88 million) in losses to the tate can be sentenced to life, “the public now has a strong basis for filing reports with the Judicial Commission against judges who they think have defied a sense of justice in handling a graft case”

The Jakarta Post: https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2020/08/06/deterring-corruption.html

 

Strong Institutions Are Essential for Effective Climate Action.  “Climate action and sustainable development need strong and functioning institutions in order to be effective…[and] institutions need a coordinated approach to tackling corruption to prevent climate action from being undermined.”

UN Climate Change: https://unfccc.int/news/strong-institutions-are-essential-for-effective-climate-action?fbclid=IwAR1HEhEsXw8KjHkjKmqIY4GoAthuSHEpI9TjwjS8KfcGoSyeTcu29uH10Es

Malaysia Najib's lawyer / Pakistan journalist killing / IMF experiment commentary

Malaysian lawyer faces money laundering charges involving $4.9m cheques from Najib.  “Lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun [a legal adviser for Umno who had represented Najib in multiple court cases]…claimed trial to three money laundering charges for receiving RM15 million (S$4.9 million) in illicit funds from former premier Najib Razak in 2014 and 2015.”

The Straits Times: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/lawyer-faces-money-laundering-charges-involving-s49-mil-cheques-from-najib

 

Killing of Pakistani anti-corruption journalist sparks protests.  “The murder of [Anwar jan Kethran,] a reporter known for exposing corruption has set off a wave of protests across Pakistan’s western Balochistan province, one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist.”

Shah Meer Baloch and Emma Graham-Harrison/The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/03/killing-pakistani-anti-corruption-journalist-protests-anwar-jan

 

The IMF’s Grand Anti-Corruption Experiment (Blog).  “The IMF’s new approach frames corruption as an economic problem that staff must systematically assess, discuss, and address if it is distorting the economy. It is a grand experiment in the ability to pursue anti-corruption reform even in the absence of a government’s political will.

Sarah Saadoun/Human Rights Watch: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/07/26/jobs-bill-puts-spotlight-on-graft-in-natural-resources-sector-in-indonesia.html

Malaysia private sector / Indonesia life sentence / Southeast Asia startup ecosystem

Fighting private sector corruption (Opinion).  “The [Malaysian] Association of Certified Fraud Examiner (ACFE), in its Report to Nations 2020, stated that any corporates that did not practise a culture of anti-corruption and integrity could suffer losses of up to 5% of their profits.”

Seri Akhbar Satar/The Star: https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2020/08/04/fighting-private-sector-corruption

 

Supreme Court Encourages Judges to Deliver Life Sentence in Major Graft Cases.  “The [Indonesian] Supreme Court has issued a regulation encouraging judges to deliver a life sentence against any graft convict who has inflicted a loss of more than Rp 100 billion [approx.  US$6.9 mil] to the state.

Fana Suparman/Jakarta Globe: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/supreme-court-encourages-judges-to-deliver-life-sentence-in-major-graft-cases

 

Southeast Asia and Latin America’s startup ecosystems are more similar than you think (Blog).  “Southeast Asia and Latin America still face complex challenges like logistics, security, financial inclusion, corruption, and pollution, that traditional players have not yet solved. These similarities show why Chinese and Japanese investors are becoming more interested in Latin American companies, many of which are local versions of successful Asian startups.”

Nathan Lustig/The Next Web: https://thenextweb.com/growth-quarters/2020/08/04/southeast-asia-and-latin-americas-startup-ecosystems-are-more-similar-than-you-think/

India godmen loophole / Godmen-politicians alliance / Indonesia overseas fugitive

Godmen or Conmen? How India’s Religious Trust Laws Facilitate Money Laundering Empires (Blog).  “One of the most common functions that godmen [charismatic religious leaders] perform in the illicit economy is the conversion of so-called “black money”…into “white money”…in exchange for a hefty fee. Godmen are able to get away with this due to unfortunate features of India’s religious trust laws, which are opaque and riddled with loopholes, and leave religious trusts largely unchecked and unsupervised.”

Disha Verma/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2020/07/22/godmen-or-conmen-how-indias-religious-trust-laws-facilitate-money-laundering-empires/

 

Unholy Alliance: How and Why India’s Politicians Protect India’s Corrupt Godmen (Blog).  “The politicians provide the godmen with political favors, special privileges...[and] the preservation of the system of legal loopholes and minimal oversight that enables the godmen to amass their fortunes. In return, godmen provide politicians with…services [such as]…[using] their religious trusts to facilitate illegal campaign financing…[laundering] money stolen while in office…[offering] politicians captive vote banks”

Disha Verma/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2020/07/24/unholy-alliance-how-and-why-indias-politicians-protect-indias-corrupt-godmen/

 

Indonesia brings graft fugitive Djoko Tjandra back from Malaysia.  “The National Police have brought Djoko Soegiarto Tjandra, a fugitive and graft convict [for his involvement in the high-profile Bank Bali corruption case] who had been on the run for 11 years, back to Indonesia after arresting him in Malaysia”

Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie and Dyaning Pangestika/The Jakarta Post: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/07/31/indonesia-brings-graft-fugitive-djoko-tjandra-back-from-malaysia-1596191403.html

Social norms resources / EITI evolution-future / Good governance for recovery

Orders from Above: Curated Resources Exploring Social Norms and Public Authorities (Blog). “[Here is] a subset of the key resources…specifically those at the intersection of corruption, social norms, and public authorities…delving into related fields of social norms theory, public administration, and organizational behavior.”

Cori Simmons/Tufts University: https://sites.tufts.edu/ihs/orders-from-above-curated-resources-exploring-social-norms-and-public-authorities/

 

The evolution of the EITI and next steps for tackling extractive industries corruption (Blog). “What participatory efforts like [Multi-Stakeholder Groups (MSGs)] can miss…is an intentional focus on accountability mechanisms…Now, it is time to test new strategies by developing country-adapted and evidence-informed strategies to address corruption”

Kelsey Landau and Victoria Bassetti/The Brookings Institution: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/07/30/the-evolution-of-the-eiti-and-next-steps-for-tackling-extractive-industries-corruption/

 

‘HR, good governance key to COVID-19 recovery in SEA’. “Upholding human rights and good governance will be critical for Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations said"

Pia Lee-Brago/The Philippine Star: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/07/31/2031890/hr-good-governance-key-covid-19-recovery-sea

Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (31 July 2020): PNG, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands

Pacific islands: The cost to tomorrow of the crisis today Today, young Pacific Islanders are increasing their demands to be heard on political issues, and they are impatient and frustrated with corruption and cronyism in structures of power and leadership. 

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/pacific-islands-cost-tomorrow-crisis-today  

  

PNG:  

  

Party aims to work closely with the young generation Leaders in the 2000 have taken our nation away from the visions of becoming rich in our own nations, which want to bring back in the right path, they have brought us on a road that has led to greed, corruption, awarding of huge amount of money contracts with lesser costs and nepotism. 

https://postcourier.com.pg/party-aims-to-work-closely-with-the-young-generation/  

  

FIJI:  

 

Landowner fronts court for alleged corruption A landowner who was allegedly engaged in corrupt practices appeared in the Nausori Magistrates Court. 

https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/landowner-fronts-court-for-alleged-corruption/  

  

Former FSC team leader charged A former Fiji Sugar Corporation Team Leader was produced in the Labasa Magistrates Court yesterday on allegations of corrupt practice. 

https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/court/former-fsc-team-leader-charged/  

  

Man charged for obtaining money by deception A man was produced in the Labasa Magistrates Court yesterday on a corruption related charge. 

https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/court/man-charged-for-obtaining-money-by-deception/  

  

VANUATU:  

 

Vanuatu Opposition calls for explanation from President on pardons The Opposition Leader in Vanuatu is calling on the president of the republic to explain why he pardoned nine former MPs serving time for corruption and conspiracy. 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/422182/vanuatu-opposition-calls-for-explanation-from-president-on-pardons  

  

SOLOMON ISLANDS:  

 

The small Pacific islands at the center of a big power play Days before Solomon Islands switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China last year, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare declared his erstwhile partner “completely useless to us” as he went on to embrace Beijing in a process marred by corruption allegations. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-taiwan-dispute-and-coronavirus-aid-fuel-hostilities-in-solomon-islands/2020/07/29/500a7fd8-cccb-11ea-99b0-8426e26d203b_story.html 

 

 

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

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