Friday, July 31, 2020

Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (20 June 2020): PNG, Fiji

Hard knocks at University of the South Pacific Over the last few weeks the status of this venerable institution has become imperilled by claims and counter-claims of corruption and infighting at the most senior levels. 

  

Pacific leadership in spotlight as pressure rises over USP impasse Barely two months into his new role, he alleged abuse of office and serious mismanagement by his predecessor and the council’s leadership group led by pro-Chancellor Winston Thompson. 

  

  

PNG:  

How to spend K320m to support PNG agriculture, households and businesses National Research Institute (NRI) analysis shows that corruption in the public sector is a significant constraint to the performance of MSMEs. Hence, how the funds are channelled will be critical. 

   

Metals authority probes Perth Mint over gold sourcing claims The body that oversees London’s $5tn gold market is investigating allegations that the Perth Mint, one of the industry’s biggest refiners, processed tainted metal from small-scale miners in Papua New Guinea. 

  

 

FIJI:  

USP Senior Librarian interviewed and released for allegedly breaching COVID-19 restrictions Tikoduadua says her desire for good governance, transparency, accountability and to uphold and cherish academic freedom is renowned and well respected. He says they deplore Police for using COVID-19 social distancing restrictions to harass and intimidate USP staff and students. 

  

FICAC Appeals Acquittal of Vasu, Kunatuba Vasu and Kunatuba had faced corruption related charges  

  

Nine MPs implicated in alleged corrupt practices Nine Members of Parliament have been implicated in alleged corrupt practices relating to travel and accommodation allowances. 

 

 

 

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

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

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Thailand Minister promises fair investigation amid corruption allegations / MACN launches anti-corruption e-learning initiative / China: Former Insurance Regulator Jailed

(Thailand) Minister promises fair investigation into transfer of hospital director amid corruption allegations. “Following the transfer of the director of Khon Kaen hospital in north-east Thailand amid corruption allegations, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says an investigation into the matter will be “fair and just”. Dr. Charnchai Chanvorachaikul was transferred to Prapokklao Hospital in the eastern province of Chanthaburi, following allegations, strongly denied, of misappropriation of hospital funds. He was initially replaced in his post by the former director of Prapokklao Hospital, Dr. Kriangsak Watcharanukulkiat, who has now resigned from his new role.” 

 

 

 

MACN launches anti-corruption e-learning initiative. “The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) has announced the development of an e-learning training toolkit and platform on ethics and integrity, for shipowners, managers, agents, and maritime cadet schools.  The training toolkit, which is funded by MACN and the TK Foundation, will target different specific user-groups of employees to make it fit for the learners, including captains, crew, and employees in operational roles. The platform and training solutions will be delivered by Videotel and Seagull Maritime, now both part of Ocean Technologies Group.” 

 

 

  

China: Former Insurance Regulator Jailed on Corruption Charges. “A Chinese court has jailed the ex-chairman of the country’s insurance regulator for 11 years for accepting bribes in his capacity as a government official. The 63-year-old Xiang Junbo was the chairman of the CIRC (China Insurance Regulatory Commission) prior to its merger with the banking regulator to form what is today the CBIRC (China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission). During his tenure as CIRC chairman, Xiang pushed for policy reforms that allowed insurers to sell high risk policies and allowed them more freedom to invest in risky assets – including the stock market, leveraged buyouts and overseas acquisitions – exposing the insurance industry to systemic risks.” 

 

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More Indonesians Say They Detest Corruption/ Conflicts of interest ‘inflame’ Myanmar’s civil wars / Singapore probe into alleged corruption in halal certification process

More Indonesians Say They Detest Corruption: Census. "This year's national census shows that Indonesians are becoming more intolerant of corruption. The anti-corruption score in this year's National Population Census was 3.84 out of 5, close to the 2020 National Medium-Term Development Plan target of 4. Last year's score was 3.70. (…) Around 9.6 percent of business owners said they offered bribes to obtain public services. Around 80 percent say they would only pay the standard fees. However, petty corruption was still rampant, especially during elections, according to the census." 

 

 

 

Military-Corporate conflicts of interest 'inflame' Myanmar's civil wars, rights group says. "The military officials in charge of defence budgeting and military procurement preferentially buy from the companies they run and own, incentivizing the continuation of Myanmar's civil wars, a local rights group has said. "This corruption and conflict of interest is by design," a spokesperson from the local rights group Justice for Myanmar told Myanmar Now last week. "The Myanmar constitution, written by military cartel leadership to protect their power and privilege, robs parliament of the authority to scrutinise the military." 

 

 

Muis names key people leading probe into alleged corruption in halal certification process. "The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) on Wednesday (June 17) named key people leading the investigations into allegations of questionable halal certification practices, after the council received submissions from members of the public about the matter. This is following calls online for more transparency in the investigations." 

 

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Protecting young startups during Covid-19 pandemic / UNDP Launches Programme To Help Young Social Entrepreneurs / KPK seeks prison sentence for former sports minister

Protecting young startups during Covid-19 pandemic (opinion). “Engaging young people in advocacy and educational programs that inculcate these values and ways of doing business, at an early stage, has been widely acknowledged as a primary way to bring about change in business culture. UNDP has developed a Business Integrity Toolkit for Young Entrepreneurs, to aid them in developing and sustaining ethical businesses that can survive and thrive, by embracing strong values and principles, as espoused by the UN and the Sustainable Development Goals.” 

 

 

 

UNDP Launches Programme To Help Young Social Entrepreneurs Overcome Challenges Of COVID-19. " “The reality is that the Sustainable Development Goals are unlikely to be attained without also substantially reducing corruption and bribery in all their forms. Across Asia and the Pacific, young entrepreneurs are setting up their businesses for the first time, and we owe it to them to offer a level playing field and a fair business environment that unequivocally rewards hard work and ingenuity”. 

 

 

 

KPK seeks 10 years in prison for former sports minister. “Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors have demanded that 10 years’ imprisonment be handed down to former youth and sports minister Imam Nahrawi for his alleged involvement in a bribery case pertaining to a grant for the National Sports Council (KONI). Prosecutors claim Imam accepted Rp 11.5 billion (US$840,280) and an additional Rp 8.64 billion from several ministry and KONI officials.” 

 

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Pros & Cons of Framework Agreements / Thailand Health minister promises hospital graft investigation / Police chief in China's Chongqing investigated for graft

Pros & Cons of Framework Agreements for Agile, Efficient, and Transparent Public Procurement: An Interactive Session with Practitioners. “Framework Agreements (FA) are a convenient mechanism for saving public funds and quick acquisition of necessary products by central governments. If used correctly, FA ensure the best value for money ratio in a competitive manner and is an appropriate alternative to direct awards, especially during an emergency like COVID-19.  The objective of this session is to introduce FA as an innovative tool for public procurement in ASEAN. The discussion would also focus on the correct application of FA so that they are administered with virtuous and skilful conduct in order to profit the entire society including businesses wishing to compete for attractively large contracts in mid-term, 2-4 years period. Join this session 23 June, 2020, 11 AM- 12:30 PM (ICT). 

 

 

 

 

(Thailand’s) Health minister promises hospital graft investigation. “Further to a story reported by The Thaiger, Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has pledged to investigate allegations that many of the ministry’s 186 hospitals have taken kickbacks from drug companies for buying their products. He says he’ll order a formal investigation, if there is any substance to the allegations, which he admits have tarnished the reputation of the ministry.” 

 

 

 

Police chief in China's Chongqing investigated for graft, says watchdog. “The police chief of China's Chongqing municipality, the focus of a government drive against corruption, has been placed under investigation, the anti-graft watchdog said on Sunday (Jun 14). Deng Huilin, chief of public security and vice mayor in Chongqing, was suspected of "seriously violating disciplinary rules and the law", the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said on its website. Chongqing has been ground zero for Chinese President Xi Jinping's war against graft, with two of its former Communist Party chiefs, both once seen as contenders for China's top offices, jailed for corruption.” 

 

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The business case for young people creating a culture of business integrity / MACC arrests three company directors for alleged bribery

The business case for young people creating a culture of business integrity in Asia-Pacific. “It is essential for young entrepreneurs to address corruption risks in the early stages of their startups. That’s why young people are increasingly motivated to operate their business with integrity through social entrepreneurship. By adopting integrity standards, they can reduce the risk of corruption and minimize its harmful impacts. Business integrity is indispensable to young entrepreneurs — without it, their businesses fail and societies suffer. In fact, in the long term, ethical businesses outperform their industry competitors.” 

 

 

 

MACC arrests three company directors for alleged bribery over RM90mil govt contract. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested three company directors for alleged bribery to secure an advertising contract worth RM90mil under a government agency last year. (…) According to the source, the company had provided false information for a tender and were later awarded the contract. It is believed the company did not have the right qualification for the job and had in fact failed a technical and financial evaluation. 

 

 

 

It’ll facilitate corruption (opinion). “Allowing the scope for whitening black money in the name of economic recovery, increasing revenue, investment, and creating jobs will legalise money laundering and facilitate corruption, says Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). Such scope is unethical, discriminatory, and anti-constitutional, it said in a statement yesterday, calling for revoking the provision proposed on Thursday by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the budget for fiscal 2020-21. 

 

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Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (13 June 2020): Fiji, PNG, Nauru

Albert Schram: University governance, academic freedom and institutional autonomy in the Pacific During the last weeks, after reports emerged about gross mismanagement and breaches of the rules of the university at USP under the former administration, this week the Executive Committee of the University Council decided to suspend the current vice-chancellor for alleged “misconduct and breach of rules and procedures”, despite all the evidence pointed in the opposite direction of the former administration and some council members.  

  

USP Vice Chancellor’s Office to look into allegations levelled against the USP Students Association 

There is confirmation that the University of the South Pacific’s Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Derrick Armstrong will look at investigating allegations made by a group called the Students Anti-Corruption Alliance against the USP Students Association Federal. 

  

  

FIJI:  

Former Fisheries Revenue Collector Charged A former revenue collector at the Ministry of Fisheries was produced in the Rakiraki Magistrates Court today on corruption related charges. 

  

Suspended USP Vice-Chancellor says he's victim of 'witch-hunt' There were protests at the main Suva campus this week as a year of tensions over allegations of corruption and employment issues came to a head. 

  

  

PNG:  

PNG minister suggests new ICAC be headed by a foreigner A foreigner should head Papua New Guinea's new independent anti-corruption agency, a government minister says. 

  

PNG Police Minister says it takes time to address corruption Papua New Guinea's Police Minister Bryan Kramer says prosecuting high-profile corruption takes time. 

  

IRC has no place for corrupt officers : Koim Mr. Koim made this bold statement after announcing the arrest of one officer and the dismissal of another for separate misconducts.  

  

  

NAURU:  

Nauru president accuses Fiji group of ‘hijacking’ USP in vendetta Allegations of serious cases of mismanagement and abuse of process surfaced at the USP involving its former vice chancellor and president in May last year and were widely reported on by Island Business in June and other Pacific media.  

  

 

 

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

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

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