10th December 2013
It is right to call corruption a cancer. When it grows in the body politic, sometimes imperceptibly, it has the ability rapidly and insidiously to infiltrate and destroy the organs of the state. Once embedded, it is very difficult to cut out. Metastasis across society is common. It prevents countries from developing and reaching their […]
4th July 2011
I came across a neat quotation the other day: “Corruption is nature’s way of restoring our faith in democracy.” That sounds snappy and amusing but it made me think about what it really means, especially as the scourge of corruption is mentioned frequently in the media and is one of the main demands of people […]
30th June 2011
Bribery damages international trade and business, undermines societies, and blights economic development. Like fraud, it damages free enterprise and adds costs to business. It is estimated that corruption adds up to 10% to the total cost of doing business globally, and up to 25% of the cost of procurement contracts in developing countries. In other […]
30th June 2011
Britain’s new Bribery Act comes into force tomorrow, 1 July. From tomorrow, British nationals and British companies are subject to new rules which tighten and extend legislation governing their activities overseas. The Bribery Act makes it illegal to give or receive a bribe anywhere in the world. It also requires companies to take steps to […]
1st April 2011
The UK Ministry of Justice has just published excellent guidance about how commercial organisations can comply with the new UK Bribery Act. I strongly recommend this link to anyone doing business in the UK or with UK companies abroad to ensure they are compliant with the new legislation. The guidance is written in plain English […]
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9th August 2010
I blogged last December about the urgent need to tackle corruption in Ukraine, which had slid to place 146 (out of 180) in Transparency International’s corruption index for 2009. Since the election of President Yanukovych, the new Ukrainian government has announced several anti-corruption measures, including welcome steps to deregulate business. That in turn could help […]
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