10th July 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
Several weeks ago, I attended a briefing in Nairobi about a recent review of the now-infamous ‘Fartaag Report’ – a 2011 report that alleged corruption and misappropriation within the TFG on a significant scale during 2009-2010. The review provided – as far as possible – an investigation into the veracity of the charges within the […]
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 […]
4th April 2011
I often ask business and political contacts what they think about the progress of reform in Ukraine. Responses are mixed: some say things are getting better, some that they are getting worse, and others that things are neither better nor worse, but just different. I recently discussed this with a group of eminent economic and […]
10th March 2011
The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) was set up in the United Kingdom in 2006 as a national law enforcement agency. It has a terrific logo and website and acts as a repository for expertise on combating serious crime in the UK. So it’s a privilege to have two top counter-corruption experts from SOCA in […]
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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