Podcasts about corruption perceptions index

This week, John and Elliot discuss the latest pronouncements from the US Treasury about the Corporate Transparency Act, the new head of the Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, the case of theft from a non-profit to support cancer patients, the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International, and other items impacting the financial crime prevention community.

In today's episode on 20th February 2025, we break down the concept of Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).Speak to Ditto's advisors now, by clicking the link here - https://ditto.sh/9zoz41 

In this episode, we sat down with Daniel Eriksson, former CEO of Transparency International, to explore how corruption operates globally and what can be done to combat it. Corruption is one of the most pervasive challenges facing the world today. But how do we dismantle it, especially when it's deeply entrenched in political systems?  Daniel has spearheaded anti-corruption initiatives across more than 100 countries, leading advocacy efforts to challenge corrupt systems, promote transparency, and hold the powerful accountable. From state capture to the misuse of emerging technologies, he sheds light on how corruption evolves and how we can fight back. We dive deep into: Understanding Corruption: Breaking down the types of corruption, from petty bribery to grand corruption and state capture. The Role of Transparency International: How TI's Corruption Perception Index works and its impact on global anti-corruption efforts. Global North's Role in Enabling Corruption: How countries like the UK and Switzerland facilitate money laundering from the Global South. Emerging Technologies in the Fight Against Corruption: The potential of AI and blockchain to detect and prevent corrupt practices. Success Stories: How Ukraine's digital transformation has made it a leading example in anti-corruption during wartime. Key Takeaways from the Episode: 1. Corruption Defined: Daniel Eriksson explains corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain, highlighting its various forms, from petty corruption to state capture. 2. Transparency as a Cure: Open data, digital public procurement, and accessible financial records are key to minimizing corruption, especially in high-risk sectors like defense and real estate. 3. The Global North's Responsibility: Wealth stolen from the Global South often ends up in the Global North. Daniel calls for stronger regulations to prevent money laundering through real estate, anonymous shell companies, and financial systems. 4. The Power of AI and Blockchain: While blockchain remains underutilized, AI holds promise in analyzing large datasets to uncover hidden corruption, though challenges remain in its adoption. 5. Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Journey: Despite being at war, Ukraine has climbed Transparency International's corruption rankings through citizen-driven efforts, digitalization, and political will. 6. Challenges for Transitioning Countries: For countries like Bangladesh undergoing political transitions, Daniel advises focusing on high-impact sectors like public procurement to build transparency and trust. 7. Fighting State Capture: Addressing corruption at the highest levels requires systemic change, from legal reforms to digital transparency measures. 8. A Call for Global Action: Daniel emphasizes the need for democratic countries to block dirty money inflows and support global anti-corruption initiatives. Join us in this compelling conversation with Daniel Eriksson as we explore the complexities of corruption and the tools we need to fight it. Follow our host (@iwaheedo) for more insights on governance, transparency, and global development. Timestamps: (00:00) - Intro   (02:12) - What is Transparency International and how does it fight global corruption?   (03:07) - Is rooting out corruption the key to solving challenges in emerging markets?   (07:05) - What separates legal lobbying from political power hijacking and corruption?   (09:37) - How is the Corruption Perceptions Index constructed and what is it used for?   (12:00) - Is there a link between corruption, lack of democracy, and weak institutions?   (16:26) - Has global corruption increased, decreased, or remained the same over the past century?   (18:05) - What is the cause of state capture corruption?   (19:31) - How are emerging technologies reshaping the fight against corruption?   (22:30) - Is blockchain transforming anti-corruption efforts with smart contracts and transparency?   (29:08) - Can online tendering reduce corruption by increasing transparency?   (30:30) - What government data should be open or closed to minimize corruption?   (33:02) - Are large language models (LLMs) being used to combat corruption?   (39:02) - Is the future of anti-corruption driven by grassroots citizen efforts or top-down government initiatives?   (39:52) - What advice would you give to leaders of transition countries fighting corruption?   (44:38) - Does systemic anti-corruption reform focus on laws, people, or processes?   (47:49) - How can democratic leaders manage opposing forces when tackling systemic corruption?   (49:25) - How effective are anti-corruption commissions in fighting systemic corruption?   (52:12) - Could a national public dashboard of KPIs and finances revolutionize government transparency?   (57:09) - Do global north countries have incentives to stop illicit money inflows from corrupt elites?   (59:50) - Outro  

Is Britain Corrupt (Part 2) The Black Spy Podcast, Season 18, Episode 0009 This week's Black Spy Podcast asks the question: Is Britain, and indeed the West, corrupt? During part two of this fascinating discussion, Carlton King and Dr. Rachel Taylor suggest that what is all important is the definition and perception of what corruption is. The Black Spy Podcast team argue that corruption involves the abuse of power for personal gain, encompassing both overt acts, such as bribery, and more subtle forms, such as cronyism or undue influence. So, although there are, in Britain and in many Western nations, robust legal frameworks, independent judiciaries, and a semblance of a free media, supposedly contributing to transparency and accountability, it can not be taken for granted that these measures work. Hence, although the UK has bodies like the the National Audit Office and parliamentary committees tasked with scrutinizing public spending and governance questions, the issue remains live.   Western countries often rank relatively high on indices like Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, reflecting lower levels of perceived corruption compared to many other regions. But is this correct? Criticisms of corruption in the West often center on systemic issues rather than overt illegality. Examples of this include lobbying, where wealthy individuals or corporations wield disproportionate influence over policy-making and opportunities for enrichment. This raises ethical concerns, even if it adheres to legal frameworks. The "revolving door" between politics and private industry is another area of lack of scrutiny, as it can blur lines between public service and private interests. Furthermore, scandals such as the 2009 UK parliamentary expenses controversy or financial misconduct exposed during the 2008 economic crisis demonstrate these vulnerabilities. Similarly, some argue that offshore tax havens linked to Western jurisdictions enable global financial corruption. Hence, in conclusion, while Britain and the West exhibit relatively low levels of overt corruption, systemic practices and scandals often come to light that suggest that the region is not immune to its own ethical and accountability challenges.   Moreover, the Black Spy Podcast team note that perceptions of corruption often depend on the accepted societal norms, expectations, and evolving definitions of those compiling corruption indices. If you want to continue learning whilst being entertained, please don't forget to subscribe to the Black Spy Podcast for free, so you'll never miss another interesting and in-depth discussion. To contact Firgas Esack of the DAPS Agency go to Linked In To contact Carlton King by utilising any of the following: To donate - Patreon.com/TheBlackSpyPodcast Email: carltonking2003@gmail.com Facebook: The Black Spy Podcast Facebook: Carlton King Author Twitter@Carlton_King Instagram@carltonkingauthor   To read Carlton's Autobiography: “Black Ops – The incredible true story of a (Black) British secret agent” Click the link below: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/BO1MTV2GDF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_WNZ5MT89T9C14CB53651 Carlton is available for speaking events. For this purpose use the contact details above.

Is Britain Corrupt? (Part 1) The Black Spy Podcast, Season 18, Episode 0008 This week's Black Spy Podcast asks the question: Is Britain, and indeed the West, corrupt? During the course of this fascinating discussion, Carlton King and Dr. Rachel Taylor suggests that what is all important is the definition and perception of what corruption is. The Black Spy Podcast team argue that corruption involves the abuse of power for personal gain, encompassing both overt acts, such as bribery, and more subtle forms, such as cronyism or undue influence. So, although there are, in Britain and in many Western nations, robust legal frameworks, independent judiciaries, and a semblance of a free media, supposedly contributing to transparency and accountability, it can not be taken for granted that these measures work. Hence, although the UK has bodies like the the National Audit Office and parliamentary committees tasked with scrutinizing public spending and governance questions, the issue remains live. Western countries often rank relatively high on indices like Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, reflecting lower levels of perceived corruption compared to many other regions. But is this correct? Criticisms of corruption in the West often center on systemic issues rather than overt illegality. Examples of this include lobbying, where wealthy individuals or corporations wield disproportionate influence over policy-making and opportunities for enrichment. This raises ethical concerns, even if it adheres to legal frameworks. The "revolving door" between politics and private industry is another area of lack of scrutiny, as it can blur lines between public service and private interests. Furthermore, scandals such as the 2009 UK parliamentary expenses controversy or financial misconduct exposed during the 2008 economic crisis demonstrate these vulnerabilities. Similarly, some argue that offshore tax havens linked to Western jurisdictions enable global financial corruption. Hence, in conclusion, while Britain and the West exhibit relatively low levels of overt corruption, systemic practices and scandals often come to light that suggest that the region is not immune to its own ethical and accountability challenges. Moreover, the Black Spy Podcast team note that perceptions of corruption often depend on the accepted societal norms, expectations, and evolving definitions of those compiling corruption indices. If you want to continue learning whilst being entertained, please don't forget to subscribe to the Black Spy Podcast for free, so you'll never miss another interesting and in-depth discussion. To contact Firgas Esack of the DAPS Agency go to Linked In To contact Carlton King by utilising any of the following: To donate - Patreon.com/TheBlackSpyPodcast Email: carltonking2003@gmail.com Facebook: The Black Spy Podcast Facebook: Carlton King Author Twitter@Carlton_King Instagram@carltonkingauthor To read Carlton's Autobiography: “Black Ops – The incredible true story of a (Black) British secret agent” Click the link below: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/BO1MTV2GDF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_WNZ5MT89T9C14CB53651 Carlton is available for speaking events. For this purpose use the contact details above.

pWotD Episode 2778: Syria Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 546,113 views on Monday, 9 December 2024 our article of the day is Syria.Syria is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is under a transitional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is the capital and largest city. With a population of 25 million across an area of 185,180 square kilometres (71,500 sq mi), it is the 57th most populous and 87th largest country.The name "Syria" historically referred to a wider region, broadly synonymous with the Levant and known in Arabic as al-Sham. The modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the 3rd millennium BC. Damascus and Aleppo are cities of great cultural significance. Damascus was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate and a provincial capital for the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt. The modern Syrian state was established in the mid-20th century after centuries of Ottoman rule, as a French Mandate. The state represented the largest Arab state to emerge from the formerly Ottoman-ruled Syrian provinces. It gained de jure independence as a parliamentary republic in 1945 when the First Syrian Republic became a founding member of the United Nations, an act which legally ended the French Mandate. French troops withdrew in April 1946, granting the nation de facto independence.The post-independence period was tumultuous, with multiple military coup attempts shaking the country between 1949 and 1971. In 1958, Syria entered a brief union with Egypt, which was terminated in the 1961 coup d'état and was renamed as the Syrian Arab Republic in constitutional referendum. The 1963 coup d'état carried out by the military committee of the Ba'ath Party established a one-party state and ran Syria under emergency law from 1963 to 2011, effectively suspending constitutional protections for citizens. Internal power-struggles within Ba'athist factions caused further coups in 1966 and 1970, which eventually resulted in the seizure of power by Hafiz al-Assad. He effectively established an Alawite minority rule to consolidate power within his family. After Assad's death, his son Bashar al-Assad inherited the presidency in 2000.Since the Arab Spring in 2011, Syria has been embroiled in a multi-sided civil war with involvement of different countries, leading to a refugee crisis where more than 6 million refugees were displaced from the country. The Islamic State (IS) militant group captured many Syrian cities in 2014–15, in response to which the United States launched an international coalition that territorially defeated IS in Syria. Thereafter, three political entities – the Syrian Interim Government, Syrian Salvation Government, and Rojava – emerged in Syrian territory to challenge Assad's rule. In late 2024, a series of offensives from a coalition of opposition forces led to the capture of several major cities, including Damascus, and the fall of Assad's regime.A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, and Sunni Muslims are the largest religious group. Up until the capture of Damascus by rebel forces, it was the only country governed by neo-Ba'athists. The neo-Ba'athist government was a totalitarian dictatorship with a comprehensive cult of personality around the Assad family and attracted widespread criticism for its severe domestic repression and war crimes. Being ranked 4th worst in the 2024 Fragile States Index, Syria is one of the most dangerous places for journalists. Freedom of the press is extremely limited, and the country is ranked 2nd worst in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index. It is the most corrupt country in the MENA region and was ranked the 2nd lowest globally on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index. Syria has also become the epicentre of an Assad-sponsored Captagon industry, exporting billions of dollars worth of the illicit drug annually, making it one of the largest drug cartels in the world.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:44 UTC on Tuesday, 10 December 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Syria on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Ruth.

Which country's government is the most corrupted of them all? Join Nick Emel and Alex Johns on this depressing yet fascinating global journey as we reveal the Corruption Perceptions Index's Top 10 Most Corrupt Countries in the World (ranked by their perceived levels of public sector corruption). PLUS… what makes these countries so corrupt?, corruption in the U.S., propaganda, the Top 10 Least Corrupt Countries, dictators, coups, “shit sucks,” and MUCH more.  WATCH THE FULL VIDEO VERSION OF THIS EPISODE: https://www.youtube.com/10ishpodcast ------------------------------------------- VIDEOS: Myanmar Dance Workout during the military coup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r6vnSR0wbI Saudi Arabia's giant motorized umbrellas  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oTBYutq1AUo ------------------------------------------- NEW BONUS EPISODE! Nick Emel and Dr. Buster take a long-requested deep dive into the Animorphs young adult book franchise! Listen now on 10ish Pod+. Membership also includes EARLY access to new episodes, AD-FREE episodes, and 70+ exclusive bonus episodes with more added every month. https://www.patreon.com/posts/109841464  ------------------------------------------- Find more Alex Johns episodes of 10ish Podcast at https://www.10ishpod.com/episode-guide/#alex-johns ------------------------------------------- NEWSLETTER: https://www.10ishpod.com/newsletter MERCH: https://www.10ishpod.com/merch REDDIT: https://www.reddit.com/r/10ishPod TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@10ishpod X (Twitter): https://www.x.com/10ishpod INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/10ishpod ------------------------------------------- Ad Music: "Android Sock Hop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KPMG professionals from the Financial Services Forensic Team at KPMG in the UK explore Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index, a global ranking which scores 180 countries and territories according to their perceived levels of corruption in the public sector.

Hello, and welcome to episode 100 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I'm Chris Kirkbride. It has been a relatively quiet week this week, which is always good for me. Sanctions designations from the US, some news from the OECD relating to Luxembourg and its progress in implementing the OECD's anti-bribery convention, and the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK has published its Business Plan for 2024/25. I also round-up the limited cyber-attack news this week. Let's crack on. As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are: Financial Conduct Authority, Business Plan 2024/25.National Crime Agency, SARs in Action: Issue 25.National Cyber Security Centre, Responding to a cyber incident – a guide for CEOs.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Targets Vessel Shipping Iranian Commodities for Houthis and Qods Force.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Sanctions Actors Supporting Kremlin-Directed Malign Influence Efforts.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Sanctions Nicaragua's Attorney General.Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Luxembourg should build upon recent achievements in the fight against foreign bribery by substantially strengthening enforcement efforts and resources.Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Monitoring the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in Sweden: Call for contributions.Public Sector Fraud Authority, Government Counter Fraud Functional Strategy 2024-2027.Transparency International, 12 Countries to Watch on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index.UK Government, Cyber security longitudinal survey: wave three results.US Department of State, Sanctions on Nicaragua's Attorney General.US Embassy and Consulates in Russia, Imposing Sanctions on Actors Supporting Kremlin-Directed Disinformation Efforts. 

Hello, and welcome to episode 93 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I'm Chris Kirkbride. It is yet another busy week for financial crime. A range of stories across the whole of financial crime, with sanctions, fraud, and money laundering all vying for top spot. Also this week, Transparency International has published its annual Corruption Perceptions Index. We'll also review this week's cyber-attack news, with a huge story out of the US. Lots to get into, so let's crack on. As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are: British and Irish Legal Information Institute, R v Gross [2024] EWCA Crim 21.Council of the European Union, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine: Council renews economic sanctions for a further 6 months.Council of the European Union, Cyber: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union, expressing solidarity with Australia on the impact of cyber-attacks against its health sector.Department of Justice, Three Individuals Charged for Roles in $1.89B Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme.Elspeth Berry, Why We Still Don't Know Who Controls British Firms, and Why it Matters (Oxford Business Law Blog).European Parliament, Anti-corruption: MEPs to push for stricter EU-wide measures and penalties.Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, FinCEN Finds Iraq-based Al-Huda Bank to be of Primary Money Laundering Concern and Proposes a Rule to Combat Terrorist Financing.Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Proposal of Special Measure regarding Al-Huda Bank, as a Foreign Financial Institution of Primary Money Laundering Concern.FT Adviser, Financial data from 53mn individuals involved in data breaches.National Crime Agency, $150m cryptocurrency seizure following US-UK cooperation.National Crime Agency, SARs in Action (Issue 24).Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Financial Sanctions Notice: Iran.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Guidance: Who is subject to financial sanctions in the UK?Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Statutory guidance – Russia sanctions: guidance.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Financial Sanctions Notice: Russia.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Price Cap Coalition - Oil Price Cap (OPC) Compliance and Enforcement Alert.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Financial Sanctions Notice: Myanmar.Office of Foreign Assets Control, The United States and United Kingdom Target Iranian Transnational Assassinations Network.Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Treasury Takes Action to Protect Iraqi Financial System From Abuse.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Designates ISIS Cyber Facilitators and Trainers.Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Sanctions Military Cronies and Companies in Burma Three Years after Military Coup.Office of the New York State Attorney General, Attorney General James Sues Citibank for Failing to Protect and Reimburse Victims of Electronic Fraud.Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Charges Founder of $1.7 Billion “HyperFund” Crypto Pyramid Scheme and Top Promoter with Fraud.Transparency International, CPI 2023: Corruption and (In)Justice (press release).Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index.United States District Court for the Southern District Of New York, THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, by LETITIA JAMES, Attorney General of the State of New York v Citibank N.A.US Department of Justice, Lexington Woman Sentenced for Wire Fraud and Money Laundering Related to COVID-19 Relief.US Department of Justice, U.S. Government Disrupts Botnet People's Republic of China Used to Conceal Hacking of Critical Infrastructure.

PM's resignation, the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, rescue operations in Dusheti, the eviction of the Balakhadze family, twins reunited, and much more!Thanks for tuning in!Let us know what you think and what we can improve on by emailing us at georgia@rorshok.com. You can also contact us through Instagram @Rorshok__georgia or Twitter @RorshokGeorgia or Mastodon @georgia@rorshok.socialLike what you hear? Subscribe, share, and tell your buds.For more information about the eclipse vist http://rorshok.com/rorshokoba/Wanna avoid ads and help us financially? Follow the link:https://bit.ly/rorshok-donateOops! It looks like we made a mistake.In 6:12, the reader should have said "24%," and in 7:34 and 7:42, he should have said "Fusión."Sorry for the inconvenience!

The Democratic Alliance (DA) noted that should President Cyril Ramaphosa fail to announce the removal of Deputy President Paul Mashatile from his Cabinet in his State of the Nation Address (SoNA), it will use collated information to lay criminal charges against Mashatile. The DA, on Friday, handed over a dossier with an accompanying letter detailing damning allegations of corruption levelled against Mashatile, to Ramaphosa's office at the Union Buildings. DA leader John Steenhuisen said that South Africa cannot be presided over by a Deputy President against whom corruption allegations are "piling up by the day". Steenhuisen noted that over the past few months, a series of explosive exposés had been published by numerous investigative journalists outlining the extent to which Mashatile is allegedly engaged in a web of corruption and State capture spanning almost two decades - behaviour that Steenhuisen says has become commonplace under the African National Congress (ANC). "These would constitute clear violations of the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act, the Public Finance Management Act, and the Executive Members' Ethics Act. With this dossier now in hand, President Ramaphosa can no longer claim ignorance that his 'Number Two' is heading a State capture scheme the likes of which was last seen under Jacob Zuma," he said. Steenhuisen noted that the DA would also file an Executive Members' Ethics Act complaint against Mashatile for his violation of the Executive Ethics Code. He said that in all of the party's submissions to law enforcement, it would highlight the fact that Ramaphosa was now personally in possession of the dossier against Mashatile, and that his failure to act potentially implicated him in the corruption racket. "This set of actions represents but the start of what will be a sustained campaign to hold both Ramaphosa and Mashatile accountable. The DA will continue to fight this corruption using every channel at our disposal," Steenhuisen added. He said had Ramaphosa carried out the lifestyle audits of his executive, as promised in his first SoNA at the beginning of his term, all of these alleged corrupt dealings would have come to light. Steenhuisen alleges that five years later, the South African national executive is still comprised of numerous Ministers facing severe allegations of corruption. "Yet another broken promise from a bystander President for which there have been no consequences," the DA leader said, Meanwhile, Steenhuisen highlighted that South Africa plummeted to its lowest-ever ranking on the global Corruption Perceptions Index, confirming that corruption was even worse under Ramaphosa than it was under Zuma. He said it was "precisely Ramaphosa's paralysis" regarding the illegal actions of his Cabinet members and ANC cadres that continued to hollow out South Africa's public service and chip away at investor and public confidence in government. "If a fish rots from the head down, then President Ramaphosa clearly sees it fit to preside over a corrupt government with a rotten Deputy. South Africans have learnt from painful experience that Ramaphosa lacks the courage to do the right thing. That is why the DA will now step up to lead by intensifying our campaign for Mashatile to be held accountable via other avenues," he said.

Global anti-corruption organization, Transparency International, released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index yesterday. It says efforts to curb corruption in Africa in 2023 “stagnated,” with 44 of 49 countries assessed getting scores reflecting high levels of corruption. Darren Taylor reports.

Karam Jeet Singh of Corruption Watch discusses why South Africa dropped to its worst score ever in the Transparency International annual Corruption Perceptions Index report published yesterday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss how Israel's war in Gaza is increasing tensions between Iran and Pakistan. Plus: the annual Corruption Perceptions Index, why three coup-hit nations have left the Economic Community of West African States and why Boeing is losing market share to Airbus. We also meet Jeffrey Wright, star of the Oscar-nominated ‘American Fiction'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karam Singh, executive director at Corruption Watch on the country dropping below the global average, alongside Burkina Faso, Kosovo, and Vietnam in terms of the global corruption index.    Sikonathi Mantshantsha, financial journalist at News24 on how KPMG and VBS reached a confidential deal over shoddy work done in auditing the books of the bank.   Warren Ingram, co-founder of Galileo Capita and personal financial advisor on how you should handle the transition into retirement — and some steps to consider first to make the process as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Karam Singh|Executive Director at Corruption WatchSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Non-profit organisation Corruption Watch (CW) noted on Tuesday that South Africa continues on a downward trajectory on corruption, saying with elections looming in a few months, the need for accountable leaders with integrity could not be more critical. Anti-corruption movement Transparency International (TI) released the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which paints a bleak picture of the country's corruption status. Dropping below the global average, South Africa has lost another two points since last year on the leading global index measuring perceptions of public sector corruption around the world, with a score of 41. CW, which is TI's local chapter, noted that South Africa has never scored so low, until now. "This score is a decline from the previous low of 42 in 2013, and two points below its maiden score of 43 in 2012. It is one of 23 countries that reached their lowest ever scores this year, stumbling into the category of flawed democracies," said CW executive director Karam Singh. He explained that despite the country's milestone of 30 years of democracy, and the expectation that systems would be overhauled and corruption would disappear, South Africa's score had declined on the CPI over the past five years. Singh noted frustration at the fact that despite the corrupt having been exposed in public processes such as the Zondo Commission and through robust media investigations, so few of the implicated parties have been brought to justice. He added that there was an urgency to the problem of corruption, as citizens witnessed the unravelling of cities and infrastructure because of years of impunity and State capture. "There is nothing to celebrate as South Africa now joins those countries in the world where corruption seems not only entrenched, but able to thrive. The global trend of weakening justice systems, according to the Rule of Law Index, which is referenced by TI in this year's report, and highlighted as a challenge experienced by every region on the index, creates an environment of impunity for, and reduced accountability of, public officials involved in corruption," he said. He added that the failure of law enforcement agencies to bring many of the corrupt to account and to strengthen the rule of law and channels of justice, meant that many people living in South Africa had yet to experience the freedom that they were so promised. Singh noted that with the upcoming State of the Nation and Budget speeches, the organisation would be looking for progress in ensuring the democratic independence of key institutions such as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). He said ensuring the structural and operational independence of the NPA was critical in the fight against corruption and future-proofing the system against State capture. "Along with this independence is the need to ensure that there is appropriate funding for the criminal justice system, including the NPA, to carry forth the implementation of the Zondo commission's recommendations and ensure that the capacity of the key institutions is bolstered to ensure the successful prosecution of State capture cases," he said. Singh explained that despite the progress made in criminalising corruption and establishing specialised anti-corruption institutions around the world, only 28 of the 180 countries measured have reduced their corruption levels, and 34 countries have significantly worsened. He highlighted that the fight for justice and the fight against corruption went hand in hand. "…where the justice system is unable to uphold the rule of law, corruption thrives. At the same time, where corruption is the norm, access to justice is often hindered for the most vulnerable, and justice institutions may be captured by political, economic or special interest groups." He said South Africa needed a new drive to remove corruption. 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index report attached.

As a group of senior Gabonese military officers announce they have seized power and placed President Ali Bongo under house arrest, we take a closer look at Gabon's economic situation. The Central African nation is the fourth-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa, but a third of its population lives below the poverty line. One particular source of frustration lies in the high levels of corruption: the country ranks 136th in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin tells us more.

In this new episode of Venezuela 101, we talk with Mercedes de Freitas about the Corruption Perceptions Index, the patterns of corruption in Venezuela, possible national and international actions to denounce these cases, and more. Mercedes currently serves as the Executive Director of Transparencia Venezuela. Since 2002 she has dedicated herself to the study and implementation of transparency and anti-corruption programs and their impact on human rights.

Trudeau makes corruption the new normal in politics After five years in power, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has succeeded in normalizing corruption in Canadian politics. That was a key finding in a Global/Ipsos poll of 2,000 Canadian adults, taken Aug. 17-18 and released last week. https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/goldstein-trudeau-makes-corruption-the-new-normal-in-politics Corruption in Canada worst in a decade, finds international watchdog Since 2015, the year Liberal leader Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister, Canada has fallen nine points, to a score of 74 out of 100 on the Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index. No country has seen a bigger drop in ratings since 2017 than... View Article

Valentina Lana, a Lecturer at the Sciences Po law school in Paris, discusses the 2022 Corruption Perception Index, highlighting that global peace has deteriorated for the past decade and a half. Valentina is also a German Marshall Fund's 2023 Marshall Memorial Fellow. Latest Valentina's publication: Lana, V., & Sapin, M. (2023, March 3). The Impact of the Sapin II Act on the Extraterritorial Application of American law and on cooperation between France and the United States in the fight against international corruption | International Enforcement Law Reporter. https://www.ielr.com/content/impact-sapin-ii-act-extraterritorial-application-american-law-and-cooperation-between-france Reference: Transparency International. (2023, January 31). 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index. Transparency.Org. https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022 Photo Cover: By photocreo --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-through-wi/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-through-wi/support

Chỉ trong một năm, Việt Nam vượt 10 bậc trong bảng Chỉ số nhận thức tham nhũng (Corruption Perceptions Index) của tổ chức Minh Bạch Quốc Tế : từ vị trí 87/180 quốc gia năm 2021 lên vị trí 77 năm 2022. Một chủ tịch nước “thôi mọi chức vụ” chỉ sau 21 tháng nắm quyền là sự kiện chưa từng có tại Việt Nam cho thấy chính sách của đảng Cộng Sản triệt tận gốc vấn tham nhũng trên thượng tầng. Đảng đang hình thành “văn hóa từ chức”. Nhưng theo một số chuyên gia được trang The Diplomat trích dẫn ngày 09/02/2023, đảng lại tạo ra một hệ thống có hai cấp độ : Một số lãnh đạo được “hạ cánh an toàn”, tránh mọi hệ lụy cho gia đình, như trường hợp của ông Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ; số khác, thường là cấp dưới, không có vây cánh mạnh, phải chịu trách nhiệm, hậu quả nặng. Điều này trái với phát biểu của tổng bí thư Nguyễn Phú Trọng ngày 30/06/2022 tại Hội nghị toàn quốc tổng kết 10 năm công tác phòng chống tham nhũng, tiêu cực giai đoạn 2012-2022 : “Quyền lực đến đâu trách nhiệm đến đó, quyền lực càng cao trách nhiệm càng lớn”.Trang The Diplomat cho rằng “chiến dịch chống tham nhũng còn kéo dài chừng nào ông Nguyễn Phú Trọng còn giữ chức tổng bí thư nhưng khó triệt để”, bởi vì “cội nguồn của nạn tham nhũng ở Việt Nam là do chỉ có một đảng lãnh đạo”. Những đại án tham nhũng gần đây, cùng với những xáo trộn trên thượng tầng lãnh đạo - hệ quả từ chống tham nhũng - có khiến các nhà đầu tư ngoại quốc phân vân ? Sức hút đầu tư nước ngoài của Việt Nam có bị ảnh hưởng không ?Giám đốc nghiên cứu Benoît de Tréglodé, Viện Nghiên cứu Chiến lược (IRSEM) của Trường Quân sự Pháp, trả lời một số câu hỏi của RFI Tiếng Việt ngày 10/02/2023.RFI : Một chủ tịch nước từ chức là sự kiện chưa từng có ở Việt Nam. Ngày 17/01/2023, ông Nguyễn Xuân Phúc thông báo thôi mọi chức vụ và nghỉ hưu, trong khi vị trí “Tứ trụ” thường được đàm phán quyết liệt ở Việt Nam. Buộc một chủ tịch nước “tự nguyện” rời vị trí, phải chăng đảng Cộng Sản khẳng định quyền lực tuyệt đối của mình ?Benoît de Tréglodé : Đúng, không thể nói là tự nguyện từ chức. Chủ tịch nước Nguyễn Xuân Phúc đã chính thức thôi mọi chức vụ, đó là điều được công bố ở Việt Nam. Ông phải từ chức vì có nghi ngờ mối quan hệ giữa vợ ông với công ty Việt Á, nơi nhập khẩu kit xét nghiệm Covid của Trung Quốc, sau đó được bán lại với giá rất cao cho các tỉnh trên cả nước. Đây là nguồn gốc của đại án tham nhũng ở Việt Nam. Phát biểu trong buổi bàn giao công tác, ông Nguyễn Xuân Phúc nói là ông từ chức vì chịu trách nhiệm chính trị khi một số cán bộ cấp dưới của ông vi phạm và dính vào tai tiếng tham nhũng.Nhưng thực ra, chuyện lại thú vị hơn, liên quan đến chủ trương được tổng bí thư đảng Cộng Sản Việt Nam Nguyễn Phú Trọng ủng hộ. Chúng ta nhớ là ông Trọng đang giữ nhiệm kỳ thứ 3 sau khi được bầu lại tại Đại hội Đảng lần thứ 13 vào tháng 01/2021 và sẽ 79 tuổi vào tháng Tư tới. Ở đây không có chuyện tính toán, không có ý đồ chính trị cá nhân. Điều thực sự là trọng tâm trong những mối bận tâm của ông Trọng, đó là bảo vệ hệ tư tưởng, sự trong sạch của chế độ, cũng như nỗi ám ảnh duy trì đảng cầm quyền trong xã hội Việt Nam. Đó mới thực sự là thách thức ưu tiên đối với đảng. Vì thế, ông Trọng bảo vệ chân lý này bằng những chiến dịch chống tham nhũng, vẫn thường gặp trong chế độ kiểu này và đôi lúc cũng vì lý do chính trị. Nhưng nên nhớ đó chỉ là vì mục đích trong sạch về tư tưởng, bảo vệ tư tưởng. Điều đó rất quan trọng đối với ông tổng bí thư.RFI : Sau sự kiện chủ tịch Nguyễn Xuân Phúc từ chức, hình ảnh chống tham nhũng mà đảng Cộng Sản Việt Nam gửi đi có thể được hiểu theo hai hướng : khẳng định chính sách chống tham nhũng triệt để nhưng cũng cho thấy nạn tham nhũng trên thượng tầng lãnh đạo ? Benoît de Tréglodé : Người ta vẫn nói với nhau về tham nhũng trên thượng tầng lãnh đạo trong các quán cà phê ở Việt Nam. Mọi người đều biết là tham nhũng tồn tại nhưng đành phải chấp nhận thực tế. Chúng ta vẫn nhớ câu chuyện của bộ trưởng Công An Tô Lâm ăn thịt bò ở Luân Đôn (Anh) với giá cắt cổ. Tất cả mọi người đều biết. Ở Việt Nam, họ truyền nhau video quay cảnh ông Lâm ăn thịt bò dát vàng. Nhưng chuyện đó đã không làm suy yếu hẳn vị thế của bộ trưởng Công An.Từ giờ, cuộc chiến chống tham nhũng nhắm đến những con “cá lớn” theo cách gọi ở Việt Nam, một mặt là để chứng minh đảng Cộng Sản Việt Nam nêu gương và có những biện pháp, đôi khi khá là dân túy, mặt khác là nhằm trấn an người dân về vai trò của đảng, cũng như tham vọng trong việc bảo vệ tư tưởng và sự trong sạch trong đảng. Nhưng không phải ai cũng hoàn toàn bị lừa. Nạn tham nhũng tràn lan ở Việt Nam, từ cấp thấp nhất đến cấp cao nhất. Mọi thứ đều có thể mua được nên người dân Việt Nam biết hệ thống vận hành như thế. Vì thế, để trụ vững, đôi khi chế độ cần lấy vài trường hợp làm gương.RFI : Trả lời nhật báo Pháp Le Monde ngày 19/01, ông nói rằng đánh vào tầng lớp tinh hoa vẫn được coi là thực dụng và cởi mở với phương Tây cũng có thể được hiểu là “một hành động chính trị thể thiện thực tâm của Việt Nam với Bắc Kinh, rằng Việt Nam không đến mức nhạy cảm với tiếng gọi của Hoa Kỳ đến vậy”. Xin ông giải thích thêm về nhận định này ! Chủ trương đó có tác động đến những dự án hợp tác, đặc biệt là về kinh tế, năng lượng, mà Mỹ dự tính ở Việt Nam ? Benoît de Tréglodé : Phải xem xét vấn đề này trong toàn cảnh. Mối quan hệ bất cân xứng về kinh tế vẫn tồn tại giữa Việt Nam và Trung Quốc, cùng với việc Bắc Kinh ngày càng khai thác quan hệ thương mại song phương với Hà Nội vào các mục đích chiến lược, dần khiến Việt Nam phải gộp thêm vấn đề an ninh quốc gia vào việc quản lý mối quan hệ kinh tế với nước láng giềng. Việt Nam đang ở thế khó. Trung Quốc là đối tác thương mại quan trọng, là nguồn nhập khẩu hàng đầu của Việt Nam từ nhiều năm nay và cũng là một nhà đầu tư lớn. Việt Nam dần bị phụ thuộc một phần nguồn cung vào Trung Quốc.Về thực tiễn mà nói, do thực tế kinh tế, một chính phủ cũng không thể có mối quan hệ quá phức tạp với các đối tác kinh tế lớn này. Với Hoa Kỳ cũng tương tự. Mỹ là đối tác thương mại lớn thứ ba của Việt Nam. Cho nên, phải nhắc lại một lần nữa là Hà Nội và đội ngũ lãnh đạo không thể đưa ra lựa chọn ý thức hệ liên quan đến những gì đang bị đe dọa, ở đây là tăng trưởng kinh tế của đất nước và ổn định xã hội. Có thể thấy là Việt Nam đang cùng lúc thử các đối tác thương mại quan trọng của họ bằng cách từ giờ thêm khía cạnh an ninh quốc gia nhiều hơn trước đây, nhưng thực sự vẫn không thể chọn bên này hay bên kia. Việc Mỹ-Trung gia tăng tranh chấp thương mại hoặc có mối quan hệ căng thẳng không có lợi nhiều cho Việt Nam.RFI : Một trong những đồn đoán, cũng được ông nêu với báo Le Monde, là có khả năng bộ trưởng Công An Tô Lâm sẽ trở thành chủ tịch nước Việt Nam. Nếu đúng như vậy thì sẽ có hai nhà lãnh đạo xuất thân từ ngành công an. Một chính phủ như vậy, song song với vấn nạn tham nhũng trên thượng tầng lãnh đạo, có làm lung lay niềm tin vào Việt Nam của các nhà đầu tư nước ngoài ?Benoît de Tréglodé : Câu hỏi tiềm ẩn sau vấn đề này là còn phải chờ xem ông Nguyễn Phú Trọng phê duyệt kế hoạch về điểm này của ông Tô Lâm như thế nào. Đúng là đang có sự thay đổi. Hiện giờ, tổng bí thư đảng thấy ở bộ trưởng Công An một đồng minh có chung niềm tin là bảo vệ ý thức hệ của hệ thống.Tiếp theo, chuyện ảnh hưởng của bộ Công An gia tăng trong bộ máy Nhà nước Việt Nam là điều đáng chú ý mà chúng ta vẫn theo dõi và thấy có nhiều thay đổi trong những năm gần đây. Thủ tướng hiện nay cũng từng là cán bộ trong bộ Công An. Người thay thế thứ trưởng vừa bị mất chức ở bộ Ngoại Giao hồi đầu tháng 01/2023 dường như cũng là một người thân cận của ủy viên bộ Chính Trị, bộ trưởng Công An. Có thể thấy xu hướng này diễn ra bởi vì nó triển khai mong muốn thực sự của Bắc Kinh và Hà Nội : Làm cách nào đó để có một số lĩnh vực chung, có thể chia sẻ được. Những ưu tiên lớn trong trường hợp này là bảo vệ vai trò của đảng trong xã hội và duy trì trật tự xã hội.RFI : Như ông vừa nói, có thể thấy sức ảnh hưởng của bộ Công An trong chiến dịch bài trừ tham nhũng của đảng Cộng Sản Việt Nam, trong khi lãnh đạo đảng cũng duy trì đường lối hữu hảo với “anh cả” Trung Quốc. Hai yếu tố này tác động như nào đến giới đầu tư nước ngoài, nhất là phương Tây, trong khi Việt Nam không ngừng thu hút đầu tư nước ngoài trong những năm gần đây ?Benoît de Tréglodé : Khi nghiên cứu về chế độ chính trị Việt Nam, các nhà phân tích thường cố tìm sự tồn tại của các yếu tố, như “thân phương Tây” hoặc “thân Trung Quốc”. Tôi thấy phân tích này không đúng trong trường hợp của Việt Nam. Nhưng đúng là trong những năm gần đây, chúng ta thấy có sự gia tăng ảnh hưởng của bộ Công An cũng như người của bộ này, đặc biệt người đứng đầu là tướng Tô Lâm có sức ảnh hưởng lớn.Sức ảnh hưởng này được hiểu theo hai cấp độ. Trước tiên là ở mức tham vọng của một cá nhân. Chúng ta nhớ là trong Đại hội đảng Cộng Sản Việt Nam lần trước, ông Tô Lâm khao khát vị trí của ông Nguyễn Phú Trọng. Ông mơ được làm tổng bí thư. Và tham vọng này vẫn còn đó. Người ta cũng thấy ông Tô Lâm có khả năng làm chủ tịch nước. Thường thì việc đó sẽ được quyết định khi hai thành viên mới của bộ Chính Trị được lựa chọn vào tháng 04 tới, sau đó việc bổ nhiệm phải được thông qua ở Quốc Hội vào tháng 05. Có thể nói, khía cạnh tham vọng cá nhân này rất quan trọng.Điểm thứ hai, có thể thấy rõ hiện nay, những hoạt động dồn dập của các nước phương Tây, đặc biệt là Hoa Kỳ đối với Việt Nam, trong khuôn khổ chính sách Ấn Độ-Thái Bình Dương, có ý nghĩa vô cùng quan trọng để hiểu xem Trung Quốc phản ứng như thế nào với chuyện này. Dĩ nhiên là Bắc Kinh phản đối nhưng không thể làm quá. Và Việt Nam lợi dụng sự chống ảnh hưởng của phương Tây đối với Bắc Kinh để có thể có thêm khả năng hành động trước Trung Quốc. Đó là kiểu trò chơi “mèo vờn chuột”. Trong bối cảnh như vậy, dĩ nhiên Việt Nam phải đưa ra các cam kết cho Trung Quốc để chứng tỏ rằng Hà Nội chưa sẵn sàng đổi bên hoặc xích lại quá gần với những yêu cầu của phương Tây và của Mỹ. Đó mới là chính sách thực thụ. Sẽ không có thay đổi trong Hiến Pháp hay trong việc thực hiện chính sách đối ngoại của Việt Nam. Đó là trò chơi cân bằng giữa hai nước lớn. Và vị trí địa lý không thay đổi được (sát với Trung Quốc) không cho phép Việt Nam làm khác đi.RFI Tiếng Việt chân thành cảm ơn giám đốc nghiên cứu Benoît de Tréglodé, Viện Nghiên cứu Chiến lược (IRSEM), Trường Quân sự Pháp.

Hello, and welcome to this week in financial crime. I'm your host, Chris Kirkbride. A good deal spinning around the world of financial crime this week. Some sanctions news, more on corruption from TI, as well as money laundering and fraud. Oh, and cyber, cyber, everywhere, so let's crack on.These are the links to the principal documents mentioned in the podcast:Council of the European Union, Russia: EU prolongs economic sanctions over Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.European Public Prosecutor's Office, Lithuania: EPPO uncovers €580 000 fraud, EU funds fully recovered.Financial Action Task Force, FATF Annual Report 2021-2022.National Crime Agency, New SAR Portal FAQs.National Crime Agency, Cyber Choices game.Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, OFSI General Licences (updated).Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Russian Oil Services ban (updated).Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Who is subject to financial sanctions in the UK? (updated).Pinsent Masons, Data suggests Russia-Ukraine conflict impact on cyber threats.Serious Fraud Office, Serious Fraud Office secures three convictions in $500 million trade finance fraud.Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2022.UK government, Corruption crackdown under new government anti-money laundering laws.UK Insolvency Service, Birmingham scaffolder given 11-year ban for abuse of Covid-19 financial support.UK Insolvency Service, Postmasters impacted by Horizon who may have been made bankrupt.UK Parliament, Lords scrutinises Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill.US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Targets Global Sanctions Evasion Network Supporting Russia's Military-Industrial Complex.US Government Accountability Office, Emergency Relief Funds: Significant Improvements Are Needed to Address Fraud and Improper Payments.

This week Transparency International released its 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The CPI uses a number of criteria to evaluate the status of corruption in 180 countries. For 2022 the global average remained unchanged at 43 on a 100 point scale. The report shows that 124 countries have not made any change since 2021 and the number of countries declining has increased. John and Elliot discuss some of the findings in the CPI and the links between corruption, deterioration in human rights, the rise of authoritarianism, and the continuing assault on democracy.

In an exclusive interview, the Japanese company working on the country's planned release of more than 1.3million tonnes of radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima daiichi power plant into the Pacific Ocean says it wants the world to know it will be safe; Anti-corruption global agency Transparency International has released its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2022.

Today Daily Thailand News on your Number 1 Podcast for Expats - 1st February 2023--Actress breaks silence on police extortion, 7 Huai Khwang officers axedTaiwanese actress Charlene An, who is at the center of a Thai police extortion scandal, broke her silence about her traumatic experience in Thailand in an interview with Taiwanese media and on social media in Taiwan last week.Source - Thai PBS World--Pattaya cop allegedly extorted foreign tourist over e-cigaretteA police senior sergeant major has been transferred to an inactive post pending an investigation after he was alleged to have demanded 60,000 baht from a foreign tourist for possession of an e-cigarette.Source – The Bangkok Post--One pill limit or face meth dealing chargeA ministerial regulation is being amended so that anyone with more than one methamphetamine pill in possession, instead of 15, will be regarded as having the pills with intent to sell, not for personal use at present.Source – The Bangkok Post--Elite Card in the hot seat over scandalTourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn asked the Royal Thai Police to investigate the accusation against members of Thailand Elite Card that have been linked with shady Chinese businesses, ...Source – The Bangkok Post – The Nation – The Thaiger News--Thailand's corruption standing for 2022 is an improvement over 2021Thailand's corruption standing for 2022 improved nine places to 101st, from 110th out of 180 countries in 2021, according to the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International. Thailand is 4th among ASEAN countries.Source - Thai PBS World--Corruption questions raised over failed Phuket construction projectsPHUKET: A key Phuket government information office has shared posts online by a national anti-corruption network, calling into question major construction projects that have failed to materialize despite hundreds of millions of baht spent on them.Source – The Phuket News--Want to support the show? Then why not buy me a coffee! You can do so by following the link belowhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/thaiexpatshow--Interested in starting your own podcast like the Thai Expat Daily Show? I use Buzzsprout and I can't recommend it highly enough. It makes everything super easy. Sign up today to get on the path to making great podcasts!https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1751572--Check out our website and forum - https://www.thaiexpatdailyshow.com--LIKE & SUBSCRIBE for new videos every dayhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB8khQ_NapVMDiW09oqL-rw--Listen to our podcast on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon or on our podcast website: https://thaiexpatdailyshow.buzzsprout.com--Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thaiexpatdailyshow--#thaiexpatdailyshow #thailandnews #policecorruptionSupport the show

Finland's Nato dilemma: will the country go it alone without Sweden? Plus: the blockade of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, Italy's ‘silver tsunami' and what does the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index reveal about the state of the world?

Kavisha Pillay, head of campaigns at Corruption Watch explains what is keeping South Africa low on the Corruption Perception Index.  Hywel George, director of investments at Old Mutual Investment Group on China being good for South Africa, both economically and geopolitically. Petri Redelinghuys, founder at Herenya Capital Advisors looks at investment mistakes and how you can avoid them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look at how Pacific countries fared in Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index.

The 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index has been released today and shows Ireland to be less affected by corruption than UK for the first time in 25 years. Ireland ranks tenth on the list of the least corrupt countries worldwide. Despite the good news, Transparency International Ireland is warning we have “no room for complacency. For more on this Ciara spoke to Chief Executive of the Irish Chapter, John Devitt.

The 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index has been released today and shows Ireland to be less affected by corruption than UK for the first time in 25 years. Ireland ranks tenth on the list of the least corrupt countries worldwide. Despite the good news, Transparency International Ireland is warning we have “no room for complacency. For more on this Ciara spoke to Chief Executive of the Irish Chapter, John Devitt.

The 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows that most countries are failing to stop corruption. The CPI  paints a discouraging story for South Africa as the country slips one point in the rankings of the leading global index measuring perceptions of public sector corruption around the world. Now ranked at 43, the country is back where it started in 2012, with very little upward movement over the past decade.  To unpack the survey, Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Karam Singh, Executive Director at Corruption Watch.

Join Our Email List and be the First to Hear about Breaking News and Exciting Offers https://nomadcapitalist.com/email Check out our article about: Happiest Countries in the World https://nomadcapitalist.com/global-citizen/happiest-countries-in-the-world/ The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people. Today we choose 26 countries less corrupt than the USA. Andrew is reading this article: https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2021 Andrew Henderson and the Nomad Capitalist team are the world's most sought-after experts on legal offshore tax strategies, investment immigration, and global citizenship. We work exclusively with seven- and eight-figure entrepreneurs and investors who want to "go where they're treated best". Work with Andrew: https://nomadcapitalist.com/apply/ Andrew has started offshore companies, opened dozens of offshore bank accounts, obtained multiple second passports, and purchased real estate on four continents. He has spent the last 12 years studying and personally implementing the Nomad Capitalist lifestyle. Our growing team of researchers, strategies, and implementers add to our ever-growing knowledge base of the best options available. In addition, we've spent years studying the behavior of hundreds of clients in order to help people get the results they want faster and with less effort. About Andrew: https://nomadcapitalist.com/about/ Our Website: http://www.nomadcapitalist.com Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=nomadcapitalist Buy Andrew's Book: https://nomadcapitalist.com/book/ DISCLAIMER: The information in this video should not be considered tax, financial, investment, or any kind of professional advice. Only a professional diagnosis of your specific situation can determine which strategies are appropriate for your needs. Nomad Capitalist can and does not provide advice unless/until engaged by you.    

According to Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, Ukraine ranked 122nd out of 180 countries in 2021, the second most corrupt in Europe. In this episode of the Transformative Podcast, Ukraine's prominent rule of law activist Iryna Shyba talks to Irena Remestwenski, Managing Director at RECET, about the transformations that Ukraine has gone through since 1991, impressive gains made by various anti-corruption bodies, and the state of Ukraine's court system in times of war.   Iryna Shyba is the former head of Foundation DEJURE, a Ukrainian civil society organization promoting rule of law and reforms in the sphere of justice, and currently Deputy Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI). For her fight against corruption in courts and for the development of child-friendly justice, she has been included in the “30 to 30” ranking by Forbes Ukraine and awarded the Georgiy Gongadze Award.

We're back in Uruguay, and if you haven't heard the first part of my visit to this little South American country, you should go back and listen to that one first. In that one, I arrived in Uruguay with a small group of nomad friends. We went on a tour of Montevideo, we went to prison, I shared a lot of facts about the country, I opened the history book, I talked about the weather, and then at the end of the episode, I went half an hour north of the capital and found a beautiful winery with the Italian sounding name, Pizzorno. VISITING A WINERY I'd just met Lucio Alonso when I left you at Pizzorno Family Estate. He was in the middle of telling us how he ended up working here as a winemaker at the age of just 22. When attending a wine conference in Brazil, he got a call from his old classmate, Francisco – the fourth generation at this winery. The vineyard is 21 hectares = 52 acres = 30 football fields (soccer fields) = 210.000 square meters. That's enough – figure out how much that is in square feet. The Pizzorno family's fourth-generation continues a family legacy, and the wines produced today by Pizzorno Family Estates represent a rich and prosperous land. The third generation Carlos Pizzorno is still in charge and has evolved production using modern vine cultivation and winemaking techniques. IS URUGUAYAN WINE ANY GOOD? If you're like me, Uruguay might not be in your top ten countries when you think of good wine-producing countries. But it seems like that's changing… that more and more people remember this little South American country. Lucio will talk about that in a minute… but first… LAW AND ORDER let's look into some statistics to see if it's a safe country. Crime rate The crime rate is relatively low, and one can visit the country without worrying about the crime other South American countries are known for. Taxis and means of transportation in Uruguay are reliable and safe. You don't even need to negotiate the price of the ride because all taxis use taximeters. Corruption With a score of 73/100, Uruguay once again leads the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and ranks first in Latin America and in 18th place worldwide. For reference… less corruption than France at no. 22, the USA at no. 27 and South Korea at no. 32… and about the same as Australia, Belgium, and Japan also at no. 18. Denmark is no. 1 the least corrupt country in the world according to the Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International. Safety In general, Uruguay is safe, and it is the safest country to visit in entire Latin America. It is economically and politically stable. Even though it is so safe, you should watch out for petty crime in tourist landmarks and crowded areas. The crime rate is low, but pickpocketing and bag snatching does happen, even though it is not very common. Here at Pizzorno Winery they have 11 different kinds of grapes and produce five different lines of wine – some for the domestic market and some only for export. The classic Merlot line is called Don Próspero, named after the person who started the winery over a century ago in 1910. I've you've ever been to a vineyard, you might have seen that the grapes are smaller and more compact than what you will eat as a snack. But the grapes I'm looking at here are big and look like something I would find at the supermarket.  - - - - - -  NOMAD CHECK I've been sharing many interesting things about Uruguay, and I feel it's very livable. And I've thought that this might an upcoming hotspot for digital nomads sometime in the future. So, let's look into that a bit more – with a little help from data from our friends over at NomadList.com. COST OF LIVING Montevideo is affordable. According to Nomadlist.com, you can get dinner for less than $8, a beer at a restaurant is around $4, a Coke is $1.27, and they say that cost of living for a nomad is $2,319 a month. But that of course, depends on the kind of life you want to live. INTERNET SPEED With an average of 9 Mbps, the internet is good. Not fantastic, but decent. QUALITY OF LIFE Again, according to NomadList, the quality of life is pretty good. On a scale from one to five, it gets a four. ENGLISH SPEAKING LEVEL It's not very good, so it helps if you can speak a bit of Spanish to get by. OVERALL SCORE This is based on all the different data points, with the highest weight given to cost, current temperatures, internet speed, and safety. Other indicators are also important, like air quality, if it's fun to live and, if there's good nightlife and low racism, and if it's LGBTQ+ friendly. The total score for Montevideo is 3.25 on a 1-5 scale. That ranks them far from the top of the list as number 387. And I must say that this surprises me quite a bit. But then… NomadList.com has the data.  - - - - - -  Then we came to the best part of the tour: Where we tasted the different kinds of wine. And I'm going to leave you with that. Thanks to Lucio and the team at Pizzorno Family Estate for taking the time to give us this private tour. I'm Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See you.

Het onderwerp blijft Oekraïne achtervolgen: corruptie. Helemaal nu er druk wordt gesproken over een mogelijk EU-kandidaat-lidmaatschap voor Oekraïne. Daar beslissen de EU-leiders volgende week op een top over. Niet iedere EU-lidstaat staat om dat kandidaat-lidmaatschap te springen. Vandaag kreeg Kiev een flinke wind mee. Tijdens hun bezoek aan de Oekraïense hoofdstad spraken de Europese leiders Scholz, Macron en Draghi zich uit voor de Oekraïense kandidatuur. Maar hoe corrupt is Oekraïne? Wat doet het land ertegen? Lopen anti-corruptie-activisten gevaar? En die Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, waarop Oekraïne zo slecht scoort - moet je die wel blind volgen? In het tweede deel van ons gesprek met de Oekraïense parlementariër Anastasia Radina (luister hier het eerste deel) komen deze vragen en de antwoorden daarop voorbij. Radina bezocht onlangs Den Haag om te lobbyen voor het Oekraïense EU-kandidaat-lidmaatschap. Ze zit in het Oekraïense parlement namens Zelensky's partij Dienaar van het Volk en is voorzitter van de anticorruptiecommissie van het Oekraïense parlement. Van corruptie naar humor is in dit geval een kleine stap. Ons aller Joost zorgt voor de nodige lucht met een kinderlijk eenvoudige mop, die zelfs de Perestroj-cast begrijpt. Hosts: Geert Jan Hahn Floris Akkerman Adjudante van Zelensky: Anastasia Radina Joost de Luchtige: Joost Bosman     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Tony Ward and Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny to talk about perceptions of corruption and the importance of trust in the political process.Why has Australia fallen down the Corruption Perceptions Index in recent years? What does this mean for the country's economy and political institutions? And what can governments do to restore trust and prevent cynicism from becoming corrosive? Dr Tony Ward from the University of Melbourne joins The Australian National University (ANU)'s Dr Marija Taflaga and Professor Mark Kenny to discuss these questions on this episode of Democracy Sausage.Tony Ward is a Fellow in Historical Studies at the University of Melbourne.Marija Taflaga is the Director of ANU Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a Lecturer at ANU School of Politics and International Relations.Mark Kenny is a Professor at ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We'd love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group. This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hot on the heels of Transparency International's recently released 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, Vcheck Global's Seth Harlan speaks with James Cohen, Executive Director of Transparency International Canada and Shanti Salas, VP, North America, for OpenCorporates for the latest episode of the RiskWatch podcast.Learn more at https://vcheckglobal.com/news.

In EVN Report's news roundup for the week of January 28: Armenia marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of its Armed Forces; President Armen Sarkissian resigns; Armenia improves its ranking in Transparency International's newly published annual Corruption Perceptions Index and more.

his week Transparency International released its 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The CPI uses a number of criteria to evaluate the status of corruption in 180 countries. For 2021 the global average remained unchanged at 43 on a 100 point scale. John and Elliot discuss some of the findings in the CPI and the links between corruption, deterioration in human rights, the rise of authoritarianism, and the continuing assault on democracy.

This week: Mike Korchinsky, founder and CEO of Wildlife Works, talks about how to use market mechanisms to develop effective forest conservation projects utilising climate finance and the voluntary carbon market. He argues why successful projects should community centred as well as biodiversity-driven and ecosystem based. And, Innovation Forum's Natasha Bodnar gives an update on the Future of Food event, coming up from the 10th-12th May. Plus: insurance pay-outs for crop loss in the US impacted by climate change; global resource use hit all-time high in 2021, says Circle Economy; UK animal welfare legislation in doubt; and, Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index highlights human rights and forced labour hotspots, in the news digest.   Host: Ian Welsh

In EVN Report's news roundup for the week of January 28: Armenia marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of its Armed Forces; President Armen Sarkissian resigns; Armenia improves its ranking in Transparency International's newly published annual Corruption Perceptions Index and more. The post Ep. 172: The Week in Review (28.01.22) appeared first on EVN Report.

Nigeria dropped five places in the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International on Tuesday. The CPI rated Nigeria, which scored 24 out of 100 points in the 2021 index, as the second most corrupt country in West Africa, after Guinea.

As concern that Russia's troops might invade Ukraine grows, we look at the US strategy in the region. Plus: business news with Bloomberg, turbulence ahead for Cathay Pacific and this year's Corruption Perceptions Index.

Antikorruptionscompliance gehört zu den Kernbestandteilen einer Compliance-Organistation - und das nicht ohne Grund. Denn die Liste schädlicher Folgen von Korruption ist lang: Sie senkt das Vertrauen in staatliche Institutionen, fördert Schattenwirtschaft, hemmt Innovation und verschärft gesellschaftliche Verteilungskonflikte. Neben diesen gesamtwirtschaftlichen Folgen können Unternehmen Geldbußen, Einziehungsmaßnahmen und Reputationsverlust drohen. Für die beteiligten Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter kommen Strafbarkeitsrisiken auf individueller Ebene hinzu. Für Unternehmen Grund genug, rechtzeitig zu reagieren und wirksame Präventionsmechanismen zu implementieren. Wichtigster Faktor der Antikorruptionscompliance ist dabei der sogenannte Tone from the Top. Dr. Christian Rosinus bespricht, worauf es beim Thema Tone from the Top ankommt und warum sich die Investition in Antikorruptionscompliance lohnt. Hier geht's zum aktuellen Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) von Transparency International: https://www.transparency.de/cpi/ Hier geht's zu Folge 5 des Podcasts - Was kann passieren? Wichtige Konsequenzen aus Wirtschaftsstraftaten: https://criminal-compliance.podigee.io/5-rosinusonair https://rosinus-on-air.com/ https://rosinus-partner.com/

Ancient cultures wanted to appease the gods with sacrifices. Today, massive bribes are paid to secure undue advantages – for example building contracts. But corruption is economically damaging, expensive, and poisons social morale.

Jon Vrushi, Transparency International's Research Coordinator, joins ACGC's podcast to discuss the statistical basis and methodology behind the world's most popular corruption measure: The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Vrushi explains the 13 data sources behind the index and explains why expert opinions and evaluations of public sector corruption - including some based on quantitative evidence - are used instead of public perception surveys. Listen to Vrushi discuss how the CPI is “used and abused,” the impact it has (or doesn't have) on anti-corruption programming, and how tracking the world's corruption is influencing Transparency International's global strategy. He is joined by Anti-Corruption & Governance Center Director Frank Brown and CIPE Communications Director Ken Jaques.

Transparency is one of the essential elements of democracy.  Governments most open to examination and most willing to let investigative results reach their citizens offer the highest levels of political freedom.  So why has the United States fallen to 25th place on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index? TI’s Scott Greytak explains the pandemic has put all nations to the transparency test, and the misdirected money in America’s Covid-19 recovery program shows how we’re failing. 

In the recently released Corruption Perceptions Index 2020 by Transparency International, Malaysia's rank in the index fell to 57th position out of 180 countries. This was from 51st place in 2019. What accounts from this drop and how can this reversal in the fight against corruption be arrested?  Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Muhammad Mohan, President, Transparency International Malaysia.

This week, Executive Vice President John Byrne, and Creative Director Elliot Berman of the AML RightSource staff talk about the release by Transparency International of its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2020. John and Elliot discuss the findings and recommendations in the CPI report, including the impact of pandemic related corruption on economic and democratic institutions.

Here's today's #BigHardFact: Transparency International last year ranked Nigeria 146th out of 180 nations on its Corruption Perceptions Index. @SEzekwesili asks: How do we end corruption in Government contracts and hiring?

In this edition of Straight Talk Africa, host Shaka Ssali discusses corruption in Africa. He is joined by Salem Solomon, VOA multimedia journalist, Joao Santa Rita international broadcaster with VOA Portuguese  and Paul Banoba  Africa Regional Advisor at Transparency International. Transparency International released its annual global Corruption Perceptions Index that tracks perceptions of corruption in 180 countries. Sub-Saharan Africa consistently ranks low, meaning it has the most incidents of corruption. In 2019, Somalia and South Sudan where found to be the most corrupt of the countries examined.   

Australia is dropping in the Corruption Perceptions Index, why? Join Sam and Chris as they chat issues of transparency, corruption and integrity. They’re joined by leading barrister Geoffrey Watson SC and journalist Annika Smethurst, and will smash out the problems – and the potential solutions.

In the latest episode of the GDS podcast, senior writer Sarah Stewart talks to Chantal Donaldson-Foyer, Head of Product and Warren Smith, Programme Director about the Global Digital Marketplace. The trio discuss how the Global Digital Marketplace is helping to tackle corruption, a $2.6 trillion problem.   Sarah Stewart: Hello, and welcome to the GDS Podcast. I’m Sarah Stewart, I’m a senior writer at the Government Digital Service. I’m in the studio today with two aficionados in the world of government procurement, Chantal Donaldson-Foyer and Warren Smith. Chantal, you’re head of product for the Global Digital Marketplace and Warren, you are the programme director for the Global Digital Marketplace. Welcome to you both.   Chantal Donaldson-Foyer: Thank you.   Warren Smith: Thank you very much.   Sarah: So just to start off, could you tell me a little bit more about your roles, what exactly you do?   Chantal: All right. So as head of product of the Global Digital Marketplace, I look after the programme as a whole in terms of our offering and what we’re going to do with the country. So we’ve got teams who are looking after each region and I help the product managers for each of these regions build up their offer and actually deliver it.   Sarah: Cool, Warren?   Warren: So, I have the easy job, I set the direction, the vision and make sure that we have the senior stakeholder relationships maintained in our partner countries, and that includes with the FCO as well.   Sarah: Now, government procurement enthusiasts will know what the Digital Marketplace is – but for those who don’t I thought it would be a good idea to do a quick recap before we move onto talk about your international work. So what is the Digital Marketplace?   Warren: The Digital Marketplace is a platform that is available to all of the UK public sector to enable them to buy digital data and technology products and services in support of government transformation.   Sarah: And we do that along with the Crown Commercial Service?   Warren: Yes, we do, they’re a key partner organisation for us in the Cabinet Office.   Sarah: Now, before the pair of you worked on the Global Digital Marketplace you were also on the Digital Marketplace.   Warren: Correct.   Sarah: I did describe you as aficionados earlier, so I’m going to put this claim to the test, and enrich our listeners understanding, and try and make government procurement even more interesting, with a quiz.   Warren: Love it.   Sarah: You’re going head-to-head.   Chantal: No pressure.   Sarah: No pressure. Okay, so this is on the Digital Marketplace. What happens when you open up the procurement market to suppliers of all sizes rather than just big tech companies? I’ve a list of four things that you could possibly pick from.   Warren: Oh, it’s multiple choice.   Chantal: Okay, yes.   Sarah: It’s multiple choice.   Warren: You encourage a more diverse supply chain to be involved.   Sarah: That’s on my list. Okay, well done.   Chantal: You get better value for money.   Sarah: That’s correct. It’s happening even in the room as we speak. There’s the air of…   Warren: Anticipation? (Laughter)   Sarah: I was going for competition. The increasing competition. And also the locations are more diverse.   Warren: Of course. Yes.   Sarah: Okay, this might be slightly harder. Second question, what was the Digital Marketplace’s total sales figure at the end of March?   Warren: £5.7 billion.   Sarah: Wow, correct. Okay, can you tell me what is the government’s aspirational target figure for SME spend?   Chantal: The target figure is £1 in every £3 to be spent with SME.   Sarah: By which date? Bonus question.   Warren: 2022.   Sarah: Yes.   Sarah: Which government launched its own digital marketplace in record time by working with us and using our open source code?   Chantal: Australia.   Sarah: Correct.   Chantal: Yes.   Sarah: The bonus question, how many weeks did Australia take to launch its own digital marketplace?   Warren: Six.   Chantal: Five?   Sarah: Five is the correct answer   Warren: 5 weeks, good on them.   Sarah: I have to say, yes, very good, good job. I’ve got to say, it’s a relief between the pair of you, you both got them right. So I think we’re all up to speed on the digital marketplace, so let’s go global. What is the Global Digital Marketplace?   Warren: The Global Digital Marketplace is a programme that’s working in partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office aimed to help overseas governments in emerging economies to tackle corruption by transforming their procurement of digital data and technology products and services.   Sarah: How did that come about?   Warren: It was mainly following the summit that took place in 2016. Where it was felt that there was an opportunity to apply the same approaches that we’ve taken in the UK to open up markets to open up procurement and make it more transparent as a way of helping to tackle closed markets, closed processes, and more opaque processes that are often the breeding ground for corruption so that was really the sort of genesis of the concept that became the Global Digital Marketplace programme.   Sarah: The corruption angle is very interesting,how in practical terms is this corruption happening?   Warren: So it’s a good question. I think when considering corruption you have to look at the whole system in which corruption is taking place. On the one end you’ve got the very obvious corruption which is where individuals are for personal gain misappropriating public funds, but I think you also have to look on the opposite end of the spectrum where weaknesses within the system could lead to corrupt practices  to take place. So perhaps inefficiency and effectiveness within government processes or the systems, or opacity within those processes, a lack of transparency, these are all opportunities for reform and are often the breeding ground for where the corruption can start to manifest. I think certainly the Global Digital Marketplace Programme is focusing on designing out opportunities for corruption to take place and focusing on the people involved so that we can help to build capability and increase integrity.   Sarah: We spend $9.5 trillion a year, so that’s global government procurement spend, and that’s not just IT, and of that number 2.6 trillion, which is nearly 30%, is lost through bribery or corruption.   Warren: Yes.   Sarah: So it’s a huge thing that you’re trying to tackle here. How exactly does it work, how did you begin this process?   Warren:  So we first engaged with a range of governments that were priority countries for the FCO. This is after we got the endorsement and the backing to actually take this approach. It all really starts by having the conversations with the governments and the supply chains and civil society organisations within those countries to understand what are the barriers, what are the challenges, and equally what are the opportunities for how we can work together. We’re not claiming that we’ve solved the problem by any means in the UK but we’ve made a start, and an important start, in showing that a different way of thinking and working in – to tackle procurement is – it is possible. We also look to opportunities to how we can learn from other governments as well as sharing what we’ve been able to achieve in the UK.   Sarah: I’m really interested in the diplomatic angle here, because – say for example your friend is singing very, very badly, you might not want to tell them directly they’re singing very, very badly but it’s in everyone’s interest for them to get better. How do you approach governments, like what’s your first step, and do you take a different approach for every country, do you go and meet them?   Warren: Yes, and that’s a really important point, is not to take a standard one size fits all approach, you have to tailor your engagement approach depending on the context, and, yes, I’ve got loads of friends who are terrible singers-   Sarah:  Even in a band?   Warren: I know, yes, myself included, that’s why I’m never on the vocals. So very quickly, even though the kind of the starting point for the conversation is around tackling corruption and procurement reform, very quickly the conversations turn to government transformation and public service transformation and greater openness and transparency of government. So I think it’s really important to see the antithesis of the negative and focus on the positive, because that’s very much where the impact and the outcomes that we want to achieve are associated. Yes, that’s how we shift the conversation to one of the future positive.   Sarah: And so for the record, who, which countries are we dealing with?   Chantal: All right, so we are currently in five countries, so that’s in Latin America, Mexico and Columbia and South Africa in Southern Africa and Indonesia and Malaysia in Southeast Asia.   Sarah: What about the discovery work, so how does that kick off?   Chantal: So actually to do the discovery we engaged with the UK supply chain to help us conduct all of the research that was necessary for us to define what the delivery of the programme was going to be. So we worked with four partners who come with us to the country and try and understand what are the opportunities that exist, what current best practices or great examples we could kind of build and grow further, and also what the challenges were in the countries to understand where we could add value and where we could work together, share our experience, see whether that can help them, or not.   Sarah: So can you tell me some of the things that came out of that early stage discussion work with the suppliers? What kinds of things were they saying about what they wanted?   Chantal: Each of the suppliers had a different area of expertise, and an area that they were looking at in countries across all five countries, and including some of our team and some people from GDS came along to the discovery. So actually over the last five weeks, four weeks, we’ve been working together in workshops to define what we have found, because actually we think that by bringing together all our findings we can come up with a better rationale rather than everyone working on their own, so we’re just currently formulating what our findings are. I think there are several themes that come out, but overall the Global Digital Marketplace is looking at things beyond just the digital marketplace, so it’s all its associated reforms, looking at the standards and assurance process before contracts are awarded, the spend control process, then how procurements are designed, how contracts are designed, then the assurance of the delivery itself, how data underpins all of that, as well as the capabilities that are available in countries, and so together we’ve reviewed all of that and pretty much in all countries found opportunities at each of these levels I think, and in terms of transparency, an exciting part of that is looking at how we could help these countries share more of their data in the open contracting data standard.   Sarah:How were those countries identified in the first place?   Warren: So we were provided with a long list of potential partner countries by the FCO, which are priority countries for them in terms of anti-corruption. It was necessary for us to prioritise out of that long list, because we’re a small team to begin with, so we used a range of publicly available indexes to give us a general measure of complexity. Things like the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, and various others from, like, the OECD and such like, so that gave us a, yes, an overall score which enabled us to put countries into two different tiers, so we focused on the tier one countries effectively. Why can't the UK government just write a how-to guide and provide some open source code and let a government get on with it? Chantal: I think part of what we’re trying to do as well is show our way of working, so bringing user-centred design principles as well as our agile ways of working into our delivery so that we can share that with partner countries live, and so that they can really experience it and feel it, rather than just reading something, some nice guidance and some stats about how it makes things better, but actually being there, feeling it, engaging with the users directly is so powerful that no guide would be able to match that kind of experience, and I think that’s why we wanted our delivery to be very much implementation focused because that’s the best way to learn.   Warren: I think just building on that, I mean, that’s exactly what we did for Australia as a bit of an experiment in 2016. They could have just come in and taken the code but actually it was the combination of open source code and technical assistance from UK government, in terms of GDS, sending some people from the team to spend the time with them to take the code and to implement, I think that’s what – it was the combination of those things which led to their delivery in just five weeks.   Sarah: So how do you work with five countries, like what does your month look like, where are you touch points, how do you meet, how do you collaborate?   Chantal: Well, it’s quite hard, especially when you look at it on a map and think about just the time zone problem, it’s a massive challenge for our team, but it’s also really exciting because we get to work together with the overseas Embassies and High Commissions who support us on the ground. Yes, so we do visits every few months in country and then use other tools to be able to talk, stay close. Warren: We use Slack we use Hang Outs, so even though we are geographically distant and time zone presents a challenge it’s still possible to have a working relationship with a highly distributed team, I think, yes.   Sarah: I’d like to talk a little bit about MOUs, Memorandums of Understanding. You’ve just signed some, tell me about those.   Warren: Yes, at the beginning of March, Kevin, our director general, signed three MOUs with some not for profit organisations to support Global Digital Marketplace. That’s really exciting. It’s been some time in the making but we’ve got there so, yes, each of those organisations are recognised globally for their leadership, for their skills, for their experience and capabilities, all of which support the strategic direction of Global Digital Marketplace. So   Warren: The first is the Organisation for International Economic Relations, or the OIER Which is also the organisation that’s behind an initiative called ‘United Smart Cities’.   Sarah: Where are they based?   Warren:  Vienna. The second is the Open Contracting Partnership, or OCP, and the third is the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management, or the IACCM. The OIER and United Smart Cities are focused on implementing information communication and technologies to support the delivery of sustainable smart cities. They are active across the globe in a number of cities and they are closely linked to a number of United Nations agencies as well. The Open Contracting Partnership is an organisation that’s spun out from the World Bank and they developed the open contracting data standard. They are huge advocates and great campaigners for greater transparency in public procurement, and the Open Contracting Data Standard , or the OCDS, is a key element of the Global Digital Marketplace programme delivery, and the third, the IACCM, is a globally recognised organisation that’s focused on building capability and capacity in commercial and contracting.   Sarah: What does their signing the MOU mean in real terms?   Warren: It gives us the ability to align on common areas of interest. It gives us the ability to identify countries where we have a common interest in and where we’re already engaging, and it also gives us the ability to bring together those – the skill sets of the different organisations and thinking about the collective rather than the individual. We have a workshop planned in a couple of weeks’ time in Vienna where we bring together all of the organisations, and we look forward to the next 12, 18 months and identifying those opportunities for collaborative delivery. It’s really important that we look at the tangible delivery opportunities that can draw on the individual capabilities of each organisation.   Sarah: Where are you in the process now, you’re collecting feedback from the discoveries?   Chantal: Currently we are analysing still the findings from - well, we’re towards the end of that, but we’ve done the trips to the five countries, we’ve brought together all the teams that have been doing that, so both client and GDS, and we’ve brought together the findings and now we’re developing the recommendation. This is going to be a kind of a long list, that we’re going back into countries to present and discuss and shape that together with our key stakeholders there what the next phase of delivery is going to look like. Our next phase is our alpha phase where we want to pilot different types of approaches, so we’re just trying to see what will that exactly look like and also how does that fit in with what the stakeholders in each country want to achieve, and matching that is our next step   Sarah: So are you working with just national governments or sub-national governments?   Warren: Both, yes.   Sarah: How does your approach differ   Warren: The engagement approach is consistent. I think the challenges faced are different. In very much consistent with the UK sub-national, are closest to frontline service delivery, so either city or municipality level, and national obviously is trying to take a national view on what to do. What we’re trying to do is transcend those organisational boundaries, and actually there is a level between that which might be, say, states in which obviously there are multiple cities or districts, so it’s looking at, okay, what are the needs of each of the different levels of government, where are the challenges, and what are the opportunities that we can help to bring together coordination between national efforts and sub-national efforts on the ground.   Sarah: Are you on a timer here? What are your target delivery dates?   Warren: Ultimately we’re funded until 2022, which is in line with the UK’s anti- corruption strategy, so that’s another 3 years on that current funding envelope, and while we’re taking the long view we’re looking at how we can then break that down into the next 6, 12, 18 months, and always have a rolling view of what our activities are likely to be notching through that time period.   Sarah: Will you identify any other places to work?   Sarah: Because I saw a map.   Warren: There’s always a map.   Sarah: I've seen a map and they had some some rather exotic locations, but I saw Bristol.   Warren: I wanted to, in that map, I wanted to call out a couple of UK cities. The list to call out is too long on that small map, but initiatives like the Local Digital Declaration and leading local government organisations who are really showing the way in terms of what digital transformation can look like at a local level. Calling those out on the map gives us the ability to bring together stakeholders who are trying to do the same thing in different countries around the world. So, for example, the profile of Bristol might be very close to a city in Indonesia where they have a similar demographic or they have a similar set of challenges, there could be value in bringing those stakeholders together to share information, share technologies, share approaches, share lessons learned so that everybody can benefit from one another. That’s certainly a really key part of what we’re trying to do, is bring together and form a global community of reformers where procurement transformation is the heart of their digital transformation as well.   Sarah: It’s a bit like town twinning for the digital age.   Warren: Funny you should say that because that’s exactly how… Yes, digital twins.   Chantal: I would add also that we’re seeing really interesting initiatives in some of our partner countries and we’d like to explore the idea of exchanging experiences between them, so it’s not just a UK to another country exchange but really this community is self-organised and has people talking all over the world. That’s the ambition at least.   Warren: Absolutely, and it’s multi-stakeholder, it’s multi-directional, so it’s not about, as you say Chantal, it’s not UK pushing out to others, it’s actually this we’ve got a lot to learn from other governments, the flow of information and expertise should be multi-directional and, yes, when you start connecting different regions and governments in those regions , and the UK is kind of convening that, I think that presents some really interesting opportunities. Yes, so while we’re focused on the Global Digital Marketplace programme as funded by the FCO with an anti-corruption focus, there’s certainly an opportunity to look beyond that and maybe that’s the next phase of our work.   Sarah: So what kinds of initiatives have piqued your interests across the globe?   Chantal: think the most exciting initiative I came across was probably in Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco, where we saw that they’ve done some incredible work at mapping the city and mapping different services, so it’s city services across the city so that you could see what was happening where, and also the town planning so this could inform their future policies and interventions, which was just really, really remarkable.   Warren: A couple that I have seen. For example, in Malaysia, Selangor State, they have a very bold ambition to be the smartest state in the Association of Southeast Asia Nations by, I think 2026. That’s all about embracing digital civic participation to deliver transform public services, so their Smart Selangor Delivery Unit is one of our key stakeholders in Malaysia. Equally, in Indonesia, West Java province, so the current governor of West Java was the former mayor of Bandung City, Ridwan Kamil, so he’s a very forward thinking, senior leader who understands the role of digital and technology in delivering transformed public services. Again, they’re likely to be a key partner for us.   Chantal:Yes, we’ve seen the Colombian procurement body Colombia Compra Eficiente, they’ve published a whole bunch of their data in the Open Contracting Data Standard quite recently so that’s been a really fantastic initiative we’ve seen.   Warren: Equally, Mexico are very forward in terms of their embracing Open Contracting Data Standard.   Sarah: That’s quite a lot.   Warren: Yes, so this is I think what’s exciting, it’s not only understanding the opportunities for what we can do together in a country, it’s what we can learn from other countries where they’ve perhaps been a step or two ahead of the UK. Chantal: An example in South Africa is that they have a central supplier database, which was developed quite a few years ago, but is actually a really good example of how having data in one place is actually incredibly powerful. Different ministries are essentially able to draw from that to be able to sense check the suppliers that are bidding for their procurements so that’s been a very impressive piece of work we’ve seen.   Sarah: In your Indonesian example you touched on leadership, how much of your work is around leadership and culture?   Warren: I think that’s absolutely integral to all of it. We have been identifying who are our key stakeholders to lead and sponsor, but also how do we ensure that when we’re working together that they have that vision and the direction and they’re able to bring their teams along with them? There was an article published I think just last week actually in GovInsider talking about the CIO for Malaysia, and she’s fantastic, she’s visited GDS at least once, I think a couple of times, and so when we were presenting to her actually the tables turned quite quickly and she was basically presenting to us about how they’re using GDS standards and approaches as their benchmark for how to deliver their transformation. It makes for a very engaging and compelling conversation when the leaders within the countries are basically saying we want to align around these kinds of principles and practices which then means that we’ve got a really solid foundation for a good conversation and delivery.   Sarah: Is it possible to identify any quick wins against corruption? Is it a case of just making contracts really, really simple and then you can, you know, that’s the first step in winning the battle?   Chantal: I like that making contracts simple as a quick win, because contracts are certainly a very difficult challenge I think generally in the world of procurement. I think there isn’t really a quick win in tackling something as systemic as corruption, but I think there is something around starting small and choosing a very specific area in a location, in a sub-national government for example, and trying to build that out. Showing how that works, and also building the buy-in of stakeholders across the board that this approach can work. I think it’s not really about quick wins, more about choosing – starting small, testing it out, iterating it and growing it in the long term.   Warren: I think that relates also to your question around culture, because the ingrained systemic issues of corruption can often be quite an overwhelming thing to tackle, by demonstrating, as Chantal says, that it is possible to take a different approach by starting small, demonstrating a success, building trust and building confidence and bringing people along with you on that journey and then scaling from there and I think it’s hugely satisfying when you can see the delight in a stakeholder or the users, to see, “Oh my goodness, change is possible,” and people are really looking for that change. So, yes, it’s that approach of incremental and iterative and then scaling from there I think is absolutely key.   Sarah:The Global Digital Marketplace is a partnership between GDS and the Foreign Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, who does what?   Warren: GDS is responsible for the delivery of the programme. FCO, they’re responsible for a broader overarching programme which is called the ‘Global Anti-corruption Programme’. That contains a number of activities of which the Global Digital Marketplace Programme is one. They’re managing quite a diverse portfolio of activities that involve a number of other government departments, some multilateral organisations like the OECD and the UN are involved as well. Our focus and our responsibility is on delivering against the objections that we’ve set which will help to achieve the more broader objectives of the FCO’s Global Anti-corruption Programme.   Sarah: Will we continue to engage with suppliers going forward, and if so how?   Warren: Absolutely. In exactly the same way as we have done in the UK, the supply chain is an absolutely critical element for our transformation. We would mirror that approach in our engagements, particularly as we move beyond discovery and transition  into alpha we will be reengaging with our supply chain partners in the UK to share the opportunities for how they could work with us to support Global Digital Marketplace delivery over the next 12 to 18 months.   Sarah: What will be keeping you busy in the short term?   Chantal: What’s keeping us busy is the trips to our partner countries because we’re, as I mentioned earlier, going there to present what we think might be good activities for the next stage and discussing and shaping that with them, so over the next two, three months we’re going to go over different parts of the team, but I think it’s that coordination of who’s going out when that’s currently keeping us busy, and then actually being in country and engaging and running workshops, presenting our findings, that’s really what’s going to be the next, yes, the next phase.   Warren: Yes, and that’s not without its complexity because we are engaging with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, the decision makers in the country, the people that we want to partner with in order to support our delivery, and that includes domestic supply chain in country as well as civil society organisations.Trying to line up the right people to gain their buy-in and their support for our plan going forward is absolutely critical. We have to be respectful of their availability so, yes, that’s going to be a diary challenge for us all.   Sarah: So you’ve been here since nearly the beginning of GDS’ creation, could you have imagined that the Digital Marketplace would be global?   Warren: No, certainly not at the beginning. I think it goes back to – it absolutely goes back to Chantal’s point of the importance and the power of starting small, iterating and then scaling those approaches, which is effectively what we’ve – what we’re doing now, and the fact that the digital marketplace is now being seen by the Crown Commercial Service as a key enabler for their transformation I think is testament to the fact that the successes of what we’ve seen through the Digital Marketplace so far have been recognised, and now we can build upon those things from a domestic UK perspective, and equally the same goes for overseas with the Global Digital Marketplace programme. Yes, it certainly wasn’t the anticipation from day one but nice to see that evolution, yeah.   Sarah: Can you tell me about the makeup of the Global Digital Marketplace team, who have you got in there?   Chantal: So the Global Digital Marketplace team is growing right now, so we’ve been doing a whole bunch of hiring in the last couple of months and are still in the process of doing that. I’ll talk about what our finished team will look like, but essentially so we’re going to have a product and delivery duo looking after a region, so three, we’ve got three regions, and then we’ve got subject matter expertise on digital and data and technology skills and capabilities, commercial and commissioning, as well as-   Warren: Standards assurance.   Chantal: Standards and assurance. Then we’ve got also, in our different partner countries, we’ve got delivery support in each of the Embassies or High Commissions who are supporting the delivery on the ground   Warren: So that shape is suited to our activity over the next kind of 12, 18 months, isn’t it? We would naturally look to shape and reshape the team if we need to, but certainly the roles that you’ve articulated, Chantal, those are our core civil servant delivery focused roles that we’ve been putting in place.   Chantal: Yes, and I would also add to that. We’ve been supported by different teams in GDS as well, so the standards and assurance team have supported us on our discovery as well as the digital data and technology capabilities team. They’ve been crucial at shaping what our discoveries were like and the kinds of things we were investigating, and some of which have – some of who have also joined us on our discovery trips.   Sarah: Where can people find out more about your work?   Warren: The GDS blog. Yes, certainly the GDS social media channels. We would like to be regularly talking about the work that we’re doing, being open about the work, and once we’ve had an opportunity to share discovery, insights and propositions with our stakeholders in country we’d like to be able to talk about that openly as well, so keep your eye out for that.   Sarah: Excellent. Well thank you so much for joining me on the GDS podcast, it’s been a pleasure to learn more about the work that you’re doing   Warren: Thank you for having us.   Chantal: Thank you.

Australia has remained in 13th spot on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. - 非政府組織「透明國際」不久前公佈了 2018 年 「全球貪污感知指數」(Corruption Perceptions Index)。

The last few weeks have been jarring for Kenyans as we found out that we'd had yet another maize scandal, and this time we lost KES 2 billion at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) to 21 people. We also found out that we lost KES 9 billion to 10 companies that were irregularly awarded National Youth Service (NYS) tenders. That’s a total of KES 11 billion. A few days ago, it also came to light that we had lost between KES 70 - 95 billion at the Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC). This scandal is still unfolding. Today, were joined by Anzetse Were (@Anzetse), a development economist, to talk about the cost of corruption on our economy. What does this looting do to our country? Press play! Resources Detectives dig up dirt in Sh95bn pipeline of scams Detectives probe possible loss of Sh70 billion at Kenya Pipeline Treasury auditor on the run as 20 are charged with NYS looting Revealed: Firms that gained from Sh9bn NYS scandal NYS did business with ghost firms in Sh9bn tender scam MPs summon Kiunjuri over Sh1.9bn NCPB scandal Inside story of the NCPB maize scam Gov’t reveals names of 21 maize scandal beneficiaries Corruption Perceptions Index 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index 2017

Transparency International started when a rebellious World Bank employee quit to dedicated himself to exposing corruption. Now the organization claims the media's attention for about one week a year when it publishes its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, an index that ranks countries in order of perceived corruption. Find out how the organization sources the data, what an important bias is in that data, and how that data ultimately impacts the world. Alejandro Salas: I studied political science and I got very interested in all the topics related to good governance, to ethics in the public sector, etc., and I started working in the Mexican public sector, and—oh, the things I could see there. I was a very junior person working in the civil service, and I got all sorts of offers of presents and things in order to gain access to certain information, access to my boss—so very early on in my professional career, I started to see corruption from very close to me, and I think that's something that marked my interest in this topic. Ginette: I’m Ginette. Curtis: And I’m Curtis. Ginette: And you are listening to Data Crunch. Curtis: A podcast about how data and prediction shape our world. Ginette: A Vault Analytics Here at Data Crunch, we research how data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are changing things, and we’re noticing an explosion of real-world applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning that are changing how people work and live today. We see new applications every single day as we research, and we realize we can’t possibly keep you well enough informed with just our podcast. At the same time, we think it’s really important that people understand the impact machine learning is having on our world, because it’s changing and is going to change nearly every industry. So to help keep our listeners informed, we’ve started collecting and categorizing all of the artificial applications we see in our daily research and adding them on generally a daily basis to a collection available on a website we just launched. Go explore the future at datacrunchpodcast.com/ai, and if you want to keep up with the artificial intelligence beat, we send out a weekly newsletter highlighting the top 3–4 applications we find each week that you can sign up for on the website. It’s an easy read, we really enjoy writing it, and we hope you’ll enjoy reading. And now let’s get back to today’s podcast. Curtis: We’ve spent a lot of time on our episodes talking to interesting people about what creative things they’ve done with data, like detecting eye cancer in children, identifying how to save the honey bees, and catching pirates on the high seas, but today we’re going to talk about a simple measurement. A creative and clever way to measure something that is incredibly hard to measure. And powerful results come from a measurement that puts some numbers behind a murky issue so people can start to have important conversations about it. And we’re going to look at an example that’s all over the news right now. Ginette: This dataset that’s all over the news right now has an interesting history. While it draws criticism from some sources, it draws high praise from others. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s officially meet Alejandro, the man at the beginning of this episode. Alejandro: My name is Alejandro Salas. I am the regional director for the Americas at Transparency International. I come from Mexico. I started 14 years ago, and I was hired to work mainly in the Central America region, which is also a region where there's a lot of corruption that affects mainly public security, access to health services, access to education. In general the basic public services are broadly affected by corruption. That was my point of entry to this organization. Curtis: Something important to note here is Transparency International’s origins. It’s a surprising story because Transparency Internationa...

The perception of public sector corruption in South Africa has improved. This is according to the latest Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by Transparency International. South Africa's score has improved from 44 in 2015 to 45 in 2016. It is ranked 64th out of 176 countries that were reviewed. We spoke to Executive Director of Corruption Watch, David Lewis