Africa - Malaysia - Albania

Africa's economic growth to outpace global forecasts in 2023-2024. African Development Bank's new report calls for bold policy actions to help African economies mitigate compounding risks. One of which being "Accelerating structural reforms to build tax administration capacity and investments in digitalization and e-governance to enhance transparency, reduce illicit financial flows, and scale up domestic resource mobilization. 

 

AfDB: https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/africas-economic-growth-outpace-global-forecast-2023-2024-african-development-bank-biannual-report-58293 

 

More effective checks and balances needed: PM should back civil servants with adequate reforms. Malaysia's prime minister recently commented on the excess expenditure of public funds by the previous government and urged public officials to act as checks and balances in preventing corruption and wastages of public funds.  

 

Aliran: https://aliran.com/civil-society-voices/more-effective-checks-and-balances-needed-pm-should-back-civil-servants-with-adequate-reforms 

 

 

Anti-Corruption Fight must be national Priority; Democrat. Member of Parliament argues that the fight against corruption should become a national priority in Albania. 

 

Albanian Daily News: https://albaniandailynews.com/news/anti-corruption-fight-must-be-national-priority-democrat  

Yemen - Uganda - Global

Combating Corruption, Funds Prosecution Recover Billions of Riyals to State Treasury in 2022. Sana'a-based Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption, Oversight and Anti-Corruption Agencies, issued its first annual report on the level of implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2022-2026. In its first year, the authority received more than 2000 notifications and preventative measures, as part of the vision to build the modern Yemeni State. 

 

Al Khabar Al Yemeni: https://alkhabaralyemeni.net/2023/01/17/205591/  

 

Unmasking the secrecy behind shell companies. Beneficial owners' information helps to know the ultimate owners behind a certain investment or transaction; thus fighting financial secrecy. This is important for Uganda's fight against illicit financial flows, money laundering, tax evasion and corruption. 

 

Monitor Uganda: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/business/prosper/unmasking-the-secrecy-behind-shell-companies-4088804  

 

[Media Advisory] TI's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) to be published on January 31^st, 2023. Transparency International will release its 28^th annual CPI Tuesday January 31^st at 06:01 CET (00.01 EST). 

 

Transparency International: https://www.transparency.org/en/press/media-advisory-corruption-perceptions-index-published-31-january-2023  

Switzerland – The Bahamas – South Africa

Green corruption – a planetary crime fought from Basel. The environmental crisis has raised the profile of green corruption (corruption or financial crime that causes harm to the environment and biodiversity) on the global agenda, as corruption has long undermined conservation efforts. 

 

Swissinfo: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/green-corruption---a-planetary-crime-fought-from-basel/48189556  

 

[Essay] The hidden history of the world's top offshore cryptocurrency tourist resort. The Bahamas represents how global capitalism can go very right, and very wrong, at exactly the same time. "Tax havens and offshore financial centers are a reaction to the fiscal and regulatory demands of the 20^th century." 

 

Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/01/15/the-hidden-history-of-the-worlds-top-offshore-cryptocurrency-tourist-trap/  

 

Corporate taxes to feature at World Economic Forum. A pertinent issue for South Africa is the acceleration of reforms that will make it compulsory for multinationals to live up to their tax obligations. "The lack of transparency in the banking sector has allowed for multinational companies to evade tax".  

 

Sunday World: https://sundayworld.co.za/business/corporate-taxes-to-feature-at-davos/  

Nigeria – Poland – The U.S.A.

Buhari's renowned anti-corruption posture brought about Judicial reforms. Adherence to the tenets of the rule of law, deepening democratic governance practices and strengthening institutional reforms across law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies were part of the cardinal policies at the core of Nigeria's administration. 

 

The Guardian Nigeria: https://guardian.ng/news/buharis-renowned-anti-corruption-posture-brought-about-judicial-reforms-malami/  

 

Poland's fight against foreign bribery has stalled and needs urgent action. Despite having an active Central Anti-Corruption Bureau, this has been highlighted by OECD working group on Bribery since 2007. It now highlights a set of recommendations for the country. 

 

OECD: https://www.oecd.org/daf/anti-bribery/polands-fight-against-foreign-bribery-has-stalled-and-needs-urgent-action.htm  

 

Treasury announces timeline for new rule cracking down on money laundering through US real estate. In an encouraging signal of anti-corruption progress to come in 2023, the Treasury department announced its intention to release a draft rule of targeting money laundering through US real estate markets in April. 

 

The Fact Coalition: https://thefactcoalition.org/treasury-announces-timeline-for-new-rule-cracking-down-on-money-laundering-through-us-real-estate/  

Zambia - China - Europe

IMF says corruption has inflated costs of high-profile projects in Zambia. "Enormous financial resources invested in infrastructure projects, such as road construction, provided avenues for corruption, especially in the award of tenders, where political connections allowed members of the elite to bend the rules and access to lucrative contracts" 

 

Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/imf-says-corruption-has-inflated-costs-high-profile-projects-zambia-2023-01-10/  

 

XI Jinping asks his officials not to collude with business groups amid battle with the economy. During an anti-corruption supervision meeting, the Chinese president stressed that despite the government's efforts to improve the economy, the crackdown on the private sector will remain a concern for investors, to avoid the infiltration of capitalists into politics. 

 

Republic World: https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/china/xi-jinping-asks-his-officials-not-to-collude-with-business-groups-amid-battle-with-economy-articleshow.html  

 

EU Parliament to present 14-point anti-corruption reform. The European Parliament is set to unveil proposals to crack down on corruption. President Roberta Metsola presented Thursday (12^th of January) an anti-corruption package in the hope of preventing a repeat of the ongoing bribery scandal.  

 

EU Observer: https://euobserver.com/eu-political/156594  

The U.S.A. - The Philippines - Nepal

United States will host the 10^th Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The 10^th Conference of the State Parties (COSP) of the UNCAC will be held December 11^th-15^th 2023. It will convene 189 states parties to the UNCAC, as well as a variety of civil society stakeholders during the 20^th anniversary of the UNCAC. 

 

U.S. Department of State: https://www.state.gov/united-states-will-host-the-10th-conference-of-the-states-parties-to-the-un-convention-against-corruption-in-atlanta-georgia/  

 

Lifestyle checks part of review of Philippine National Police (PNP) officials who file courtesy resignations. According to the website of the Office of the Ombudsman, a lifestyle check is an "investigation strategy developed by anti-corruption agencies to determine the existence of ill-gotten gains and unexplained wealth". The aim of the effort is to remove those in the PNP ranks with links to illegal drugs. 

 

PhilStar Global: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/01/10/2236686/lifestyle-checks-part-review-pnp-officials-who-file-courtesy-resignations  

 

 

Norwegian Ambassador to Nepal: Transparency and good governance are important foundations for development. Ambassador Torun Dramdal said that if everything goes according to plan, Nepal will graduate from the group of least developed countries in 2026 and then become a middle-income country. 

 

The Annapurna Express: https://theannapurnaexpress.com/news/torun-dramdal-transparency-and-good-governance-are-important-foundations-for-development-36817  

Lithuania - Vietnam - Global

Lithuania's anti-corruption watchdog received over 7,700 tip-offs in 2022. Lithuania's Special Investigation Service (STT) received 4,729 reports of corruption in 2022. 30% of the STT's pre-trial investigations were opened based on citizen reports. The majority of which were in health, environment, governance, and justice. 

 

Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT): https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1862469/lithuania-s-anti-corruption-watchdog-received-over-4-700-tip-offs-in-2022  

 

How Vietnam's Anti-Corruption Fight Keeps Expanding. As Southeast-Asia's fastest growing economy, the country only ranks 87^th out of 180 countries in TI's Corruption Perceptions Index. In the realization that corruption could put its legitimacy with the public at risk, the country has much to gain economically if it can bolster its image as a place to do business.  

 

Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/how-vietnams-anti-corruption-fight-keeps-expanding/2023/01/10/1606e0c6-90df-11ed-90f8-53661ac5d9b9_story.html  

 

  

[Report] More than two-thirds of financial institutions lost over $500K to fraud in 2022. "Fraud is the highest it's ever been.", "Rapid digitalization and an influx of cash from pandemic relief scams have created the perfect conditions for fraudsters to thrive…" says CEO of Alloy, which on January 9^th released a report on fraud in financial institutions. 

 

Cision PR Newswire: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/more-than-two-thirds-of-financial-institutions-lost-over-500k-to-fraud-in-2022-alloy-report-finds-301715626.html