International

The Fight Against Corruption Goes Global

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Andrea Bonime-Blanc – February 14, 2012

2011 was a turning point in the fight against corruption. Around the world, protest after protest had one common denominator: outrage at some form of corruption. In the Middle East, people took to the streets to oust political elites who had been building vast personal wealth while depriving citizens of the most basic necessities.

Israel, too, saw its first mass middle-class economic protests ever. In India, meanwhile, the social activist Anna Hazare led several hunger strikes in a campaign against graft. And Chinese citizens staged protests against corruption.

G20 progress on whistleblower protection

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December 2011

One of the agenda items when the G20 Heads of State met in Cannes, France, in November 2011, was a review of their anti-corruption efforts. Among the documents they approved was the first monitoring report from the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group, which described areas of progress (and lack of progress) within G20 countries.

The meeting also approved a compendium on whistleblowing which provides an analysis of whistleblower protection legislation and practice, as well as guiding principles for legislation which are meant to inform ongoing legislation processes in G20 member states.

FAIR joins NGOs urging G20 to apply whistleblower best practices

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David Hutton – September 15, 2011

In its 2010 Anti-Corruption Plan the G20 group committed to implementing whistleblower protection legislation by end 2012 – a strong commitment for many of the G20 members which include countries like China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, and a new opportunity to create best practice legislation in Canada.

To help ensure that this legislation reflects best practice, FAIR and eight other NGOs have joined forces to provide recommendations to the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group.

Madagascar fears repeat of Canada's tar sands devastation

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Tom Levitt – June 1, 2011

UK banks are helping to finance oil giant Total's exploitation of tar sands on the world's fourth largest island despite lack of adequate environmental controls or regulation.

Plans to extract oil from tar sands deposits in Madagascar, including one partly inside a UNESCO World Heritage site, have been condemned by an alliance of environmental and human rights groups in the country.

Soccer Governing Body Launches Probe Into Four Officials

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May 26, 2011

Fifa has launched an investigation into the conduct of four officials, including vice-president Jack Warner and presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam.

The probe relates to bribery allegations made by executive committee member Chuck Blazer, the general secretary of the CONCACAF federation.

Cuba cracks down on “Guayabera” crime

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Marc Frank – May 20 2011

Havana—One morning this month the nearly half a million inhabitants of Sancti Spiritus, a leafy province in central Cuba, woke up to find their local government had fallen.

Rather than some kind of US-inspired coup, however, the removal and subsequent arrest of five senior provincial officials was part of the increasing drive by Raúl Castro, president, against white-collar corruption – or white “Guayabera” crime as it is called after the distinctive Cuban dress shirt.

Fraud plagues global health fund

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Associated Press – January 24, 2011

GENEVA — A $21.7 billion development fund backed by celebrities and hailed as an alternative to the bureaucracy of the United Nations sees as much as two-thirds of some grants eaten up by corruption, The Associated Press has learned.

Much of the money is accounted for with forged documents or improper bookkeeping, indicating it was pocketed, investigators for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria say. Donated prescription drugs wind up being sold on the black market.

Australian whistleblowing pilot gets his job back

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December 21, 2010

Jetstar has reinstated a pilot who was sacked last month after raising concerns about the airline's safety. Joe Eakins, 31, criticised Jetstar's cost-cutting measures - including the hiring of overseas cabin staff - saying they were jeopardising the safety of the airline.

Mr Eakins also raised concerns that a new system of promoting pilots could affect safety.

Canada suspends health aid to Zambia

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Geoffrey York – November 5, 2010

JOHANNESBURG — Canada has suspended a $14.5-million aid program to Zambia’s Health Ministry after learning that embezzlers have stolen millions of dollars from foreign donors, including the Canadian government.

Several other donors, including Sweden and the Netherlands, have also suspended aid to Zambia as a result of the corruption scandal, which began last year when a whistle-blower revealed that Zambian officials were stealing aid money. Auditors confirmed that about $7-million was stolen, mostly from foreign donors.

UBS whistleblower: U.S. prosecutor obstructed probe

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Tom Brown – October 30, 2010

MIAMI, Oct 29 (Reuters) - The jailed whistleblower in a landmark tax evasion case against UBS AG is accusing a top U.S. Justice Department lawyer of "criminal conduct" for thwarting his efforts to cooperate with investigations of the Swiss bank by federal regulators and the U.S. Senate.

Bradley Birkenfeld, who was instrumental in exposing widespread tax evasion by wealthy American clients of UBS, detailed the alleged misconduct involving the Justice Department's Kevin Downing in a telephone interview on Thursday.

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