Selection of recent anti-corruption stories from TrustLaw and other media
LONDON (TrustLaw) - Here is our selection of recent anti-corruption stories from TrustLaw and other media.
Africa
Mozambique: College management sacked for corruption
allAfrica.com, Mozambique
Mozambique's Deputy Minister of Education, Arlindo Chilundo, has announced that the entire management of the Teachers Training College in the district of Angonia is to be sacked due to corruption in the college’s admission process.
Nigeria leads Africa in illicit financial outflow with $130b – Report
Daily Independent, Nigeria
A report by the US-based organisation, Global Financial Integrity (GFI), states that between 2000 and 2008 there were more illicit financial outflows from Nigeria than any other African country. The report disclosed that $6.5 trillion was removed from the developing world within the period and that Nigeria alone accounted for $130 billion.
Former Kenyan ports boss denies graft claims
Daily Nation, Kenya
A judge has given the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) more time to examine evidence that allegedly showing that James Mulewa, the former managing director of the Kenya Ports Authority, may have obtained his wealth through corrupt means. At the request of the KACC, the judge also extended an order freezing Mulewa’s bank accounts for an additional 30 days.
South Asia & Asia-Pacific
Indian bankers and judges call for war on corruption
TrustLaw, India
A group of prominent Indians - including businessmen, bankers, former central bank governors and judges - have published an open letter calling on the government to urgently tackle the corruption “corroding the fabric of our nation”.
INTERVIEW: Malaysia backsliding on graft - watchdog
TrustLaw, Thailand
Malaysia's fight against corruption has lost ground in recent years due to selective investigation and prosecution of graft cases, combined with a lack of political will, the head of Transparency International in the southeast Asian nation has said.
Chinese university offers anti-corruption course
The Guardian, UK
Government prosecutors at Beijing’s Renmin University are helping to train 30 students in the art of investigating corrupt officials.
Corruption on upward trend in Central Java, Indonesia
Jakarta Post, Indonesia
The number of corruption cases in Central Java has risen considerably over the last three years. According to government data, there were 174 corruption cases in 2010 from only 39 in 2009 and 29 in 2008.
Government of South Korea to launch probe of corruption cases
The Korea Times, Republic of Korea
The Korean government has announced the creation of a task force that will conduct a nationwide investigation into corruption cases involving government employees in central and local government. The announcement comes after it emerged that several high-ranking government officials were under investigation for corruption.
North America
Ex-councilman in New Jersey gets 18 months in prison in corruption probe
nj.com, USA
Michael Schaffer, a former councilman in the city of Hoboken, New Jersey has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. Schaffer had previously pleaded guilty to funnelling $25,000 in illegal campaign contributions to former Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano.
Judges take another look at ex-Alabama governor’s conviction
The New York Times, USA
Lawyers for Don Siegelman, the former governor of the U.S state of Alabama, have asked a federal appeals court to either throw out Siegelman’s 2006 conviction for corruption or at least order a new trial. Siegelman’s lawyers believe that two recent decisions by the U.S Supreme Court have shifted the legal landscape since his original trial.
Europe
Former Siemens executive in German court over scandal
Financial Times, UK (subscription required)
The trial has begun in Munich of Thomas Ganswindt, a former executive at the German engineering group Siemens. Prosecutors accuse him of tax evasion and of neglecting his supervisory duty in relation to a 2006 corruption scandal that is estimated to have cost the company over €2 billion ($2.7 billion).
Sports arbitration court upholds lifetime ban on referee Oleg Oriekhov
UEFA.com, Switzerland
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed that the Ukrainian referee Oleg Oriekhov should be banned for life from any involvement in professional football. Oriekhov had appealed to CAS after UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, had found him guilty of being in regular contact with members of a group involved in match-fixing and betting fraud and for not informing UEFA immediately.
Czech dermatologist receives suspended sentence for corruption
Prague Daily Monitor, Czech Republic
A court in the Czech city of Brno has imposed a two-year suspended sentence, with four years’ probation and a 50,000 crown ($2800) fine, on dermatologist Eliska Jugova. She was found guilty of demanding and accepting bribes from a medicine distributor in exchange for prescribing its medicines. Jugova maintained her innocence and is expected to appeal the verdict.
Senior Estonian policeman says corruption jeopardises national security
ERR (Estonian Public Broadcasting), Estonia
According to Estonian Security Police (KAPO) deputy chief Eerik Heldna, the agency does not view corruption cases as ordinary crimes because they carry security risks as well. He added that a recent surge in corruption cases presented to the prosecutor's office was due not to a rise in corruption but to his agency’s increased focus on completing current corruption investigations.
Latin America and Caribbean
Paraguay grants political refuge to Bolivian opposition governor ousted by corruption charges
Canadian Press, Canada
Paraguay granted political refugee status to a key opponent of Bolivia’s President Evo Morales, sheltering him from corruption charges across the border. Mario Cossio fled to Paraguay having been ousted as governor of the state of Tarija due to charges of dereliction of duty and causing economic damage. He would face up to eight years in prison if convicted in Bolivia. Morales critics claim Cossio is another victim in a campaign to remove political opponents.
Nicaraguan daily threatened for reporting on corruption
Latin American Herald Tribune, Venezuela
The Nicaraguan daily El Nuevo Diario has denounced the fact that its reporters have received threats for reporting on cases of alleged corruption in the government. An editorial in the paper said that threats were directed against the authors of stories “about proven acts of corruption” at the DGI tax agency and the Finance Ministry.
Middle East
Iran official lashes out at corruption charges
The Washington Post, US
Mohammed Reza-Rahimi, an Iranian vice president, has lashed out at parliamentarians who have accused him of involvement in an embezzlement scheme. The Sharq newspaper reported Reza-Rahimi as saying that those who levelled the accusations were trying to destroy President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government.
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