January 2023 Issue of The Integrity Bulletin News Magazine

How the U.S. Combats Global Corruption and Human Rights Abuses

Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine is a stark reminder that corrupt regimes are among the worst perpetratorsofhumanrightsviolationsandabuses.

OnInternationalAnti-CorruptionDayandontheeveofHumanRightsDay,theUnitedStates saidonDecember9thatitistakingdozensofactionstopromoteaccountabilityforcorruption andhumanrightsabusearoundtheworld.

U.S.SecretaryofStateAntonyBlinken.Photo:DepartmentofState

In doing so, it is using a range of accountabilitytools,includingGlobalMagnitskysanctions and the Department of Stateʼs Section 7031(c) visa restriction authority, to designate more than 65 individuals and entities connected to corruption and human rights abuses in 17 countries.RussiaʼsinvasionofUkraineisastarkreminderthatcorruptregimesareamongthe worstperpetratorsofhumanrightsviolationsandabuses.TheactionsthattheU.S.istaking reflectU.S.effortstoaddressthesepervasivechallengesglobally.

“By exposing the practices of these malign actors, these designations disrupt illicit activity andnetworks,promoteaccountability,andimposecostsforegregiousbehavior,”saidtheU.S. SecretaryofStateAntonyJ BlinkeninacommuniqueissuedbytheUS DepartmentofState

He added that state capture and systemic corruption enable autocrats to retain power, deprive societies of critical resources, and undermine democracy and the rule of law. In support of the U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption, the corruption-related designations takeaimatactsthatcontributetostatecaptureanddemocraticbacksliding.

It includes corruption as a root cause of migration in Central America; misappropriation of statefundsandembezzlementinAfrica;andthesolicitationofbribesinexchangeforundue judicial influence by a corrupt judge inUkraine InsupportoftheHaitianpeople,theUS is shining a light onthosewhohaveabusedpublicpositionsforpersonalgain,contributingto thecurrentcrisis.

“Todayʼs human rights-related designationsspantheglobe.OurdesignationstargetRussian officialsandproxieswhohaveperpetuatedRussiaʼsillegalanddeadlywarinUkrainethrough abhorrent filtration operations and forcible deportations of Ukraineʼs citizens, including a growingnumberofchildren,”Blinkensaid.

The U.S. reiterates its condemnation of Iranʼs brutal acts of violence against peaceful protestors, ongoing denial of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and pervasive oppressionandstate-sponsoredviolenceagainstwomen.

“OuractionsfurtheraimtodisruptanddeterthePeopleʼsRepublicofChinaʼs(PRC)arbitrary detention and physical abuse of members of religious minority groups in the Tibetan AutonomousRegion,andtheGovernmentoftheDemocraticPeopleʼsRepublicofKoreaʼsrole in restricting freedom of movement, mistreating asylum seekers, and exploiting laborersto generaterevenueforthestate,”Blinkensaid.

Amongothercriticaldesignations,theUS isalsotakingactiontocurbthesexualabuseand exploitationofchildrenandwomeninthePhilippinesandaddressimpunityfordecades-old humanrightsviolationsinPeruandIndonesia.

Finally,thedesignationsalsoaddressthenexusbetweenPRC-basedillicitfishingandhuman rights abuse, including forced labor as a form of human trafficking. The actions of the individuals and entities sanctioned undermine fundamental labor and environmental standards, harm the economic prospects of local populations in the Indo-Pacific, and exacerbatetheenvironmentalandsocioeconomiceffectsofclimatechange.

These actions build upon several prior Global Magnitsky designations in 2022, including designationsofseniorofficialsinLiberiafortheirinvolvementinongoingpubliccorruption;a fugitive oligarch widely recognized for capturing and corrupting Moldovaʼs political and economic institutions; and a Russia-linked network for exploiting the Guatemalan mining

sector. In total, the U.S. has designated hundreds of individuals and entities for activity relatedtocorruptionandhumanrightsabusesin2022.

TheUnitedStatessaysitiscommittedtoensuringthatitsauthoritiesareappliedtomaximum effect, by addressing corruption and human rights abuse in all their forms, supporting the mostvulnerablepopulations,andcoordinatingwithalliesandpartnerswhereverpossible

Flying Lies: Book Reveals PM Modi’s Role in Rafale Scandal

Despite a series of investigative reports published by Mediapart about the possibility of corruptionintheRafaledeal,theIndiancourtshaveignoredthecase.

Anewbooktitled,“TheRafaleDealFlyingLies?TheRoleofPrimeMinisterNarendraModiin Indiaʼs Biggest Defence Scandal” covers the story of the Rafale corruption scandalinwhich primeminister(PM)Modiisallegedlyinvolved.

Written by independent journalists Ravi Nair and Paranjoy GuhaThakurta,thebookreveals the details of the deal relating to the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets in a government-to-governmentdubiousdealinwhichModiwasdirectlyinvolved.

InavideointerviewpublishedonDecember10,2022bytheNewsClicknewssite,theauthors ofthebookexplainthatallthechecksandbalanceswerenegatedandModiunilaterallytook the decision in the Rafale deal, which isbelievedtobethebiggestcaseofgrandcorruption notonlyinIndiabutalsointheworld.

The Business Standard newspaper carried a review of the Flying Lies book onDecember7, 2022,sayingthattheauthorshaveanalyzedtheRafaledealfrommultipleperspectiveswhile theoppositionpoliticalpartiesandmediahadburiedtheRafaleissue.Also,asenioradvocate Prashant Bhushan - who is a complainant in the Rafale case - spoke about the Flying Lies bookandtweetedonDecember11,2022hisvideodiscussiononModi'sRafaledeal.

INVESTIGATIONINFRANCE

Meanwhile,theFrenchjudicialinvestigationintothesaleof36RafalefighteraircratoIndiais accelerating.AccordingtoaMediapartarticleonSeptember14,2022thedetectivesfromthe OCLCIFF, the anti-corruption unit of the French police, searched the headquartersofRafale manufacturersDassaultAviation.

The police action that took placeinFebruary2022wasinresponsetothedemandfromthe investigating judges Virginie Tilmont and Pascal Gastineau MediapartsaysDassaultdidnot comment on the ongoing investigation, adding that French judges are leading an

investigationintoclaimsofcorruptionsurroundingthe7.8-billion-eurosaletoIndiain2016of 36Dassault-builtRafalefighteraircra.

Book:TheRafaleDealFlyingLies?TheRoleofPrimeMinisterNarendraModiinIndiaʼsBiggestDefenceScandal MediapartreporterYannPhilippinwritesthatfourmonthsaersearchingtheheadquartersof theFrenchdefenceandaviationgroup,investigatorswererefusedaccessbyFranceʼsMinistry oftheArmedForcesandtheMinistryofForeignAffairstoclassifieddocumentsrelatedtothe Rafaledeal.

The French news service Mediapart – which hasbeenreportingabouttheRafalecorruption case – had revealed in its report of November 7 last year thatIndianinvestigatingagencies deliberatelyignoredthiscaseinwhichIndiaʼsprimeminister(PM)NarendraModiistheprime accused.

Mediapart says that detectives from Indiaʼs federal police force, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and its colleagues from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which fights moneylaundering,havehadproofsinceOctober2018thatFrenchaviationfirmDassaultpaid at least 7.5 million euros (equivalent to about 600 million rupees) insecretcommissionsto middleman in this case. But the CBI andEDdecidedtoignorethewrongdoing.[WatchThe WirevideoofNovember8,2021.]

AstheIndiancourtsandjudgeshadalsoturnedablindeyetothepossiblecorruptioninthe Rafale deal, a French judge was appointed in July 2021 to lead a judicial investigation into allegedcorruptionandfavouritisminthe7.8billioneurosaletoIndiaof36fighteraircra.

Mediapart – an independent French online investigative journal – hadrevealedinitsreport released on July 2, 2021 that the investigation was formally opened in June following a decision by the financial crimes branch of the French public prosecution services, thePNF. Parquet national financier (PNF) is a French judicial institution which is responsible for investigatingseriouseconomicandfinancialcrimes

CongressleadersprotestingagainstPMNarendraModiandtheRafaledealonFebruary13,2019(file photo).Photo:Congress

Thanks to a series of investigative reports published by Mediapart in April 2021 about the possibility of corruptionintheRafaledeal,theprobehasbeenlaunchedtoexaminevarious aspects of the deal. These include corruption, influence peddling, money laundering, favouritism,andunduetaxwaiverssurroundingthedeal.[Clickheretowatcharelatedvideo onRMNYouTubeChannel.]

Investigative reporter Yann Philippin of Mediapart reveals that aer declining toinvestigate the case in 2019, the PNF decided to open it aer the case was updated with details from Mediapartʼsrecentseriesofinvestigations.TheWirenewsservicepublishedavideointerview withYannPhilippininApriltolearnabouttheRafalecase.[Clickheretowatchtheinterview.]

WhiletheRafaledealhadbecomeahotpotatoinIndia,aFrenchNGOnamedSherpahadfiled a complaint in 2018 with the National Financial Prosecutorʼs Office to clarify under which

conditions36fighteraircraproducedbyDassaultAviationweresoldtoIndiain2016andthe choiceofitsIndianpartner,Reliance,agroupledbyaclosepartnerofPMModi.

“Thiscomplaintfollowsthecomplaintlodgedonthe4thofOctober2018byaformerIndian Minister and an anti-corruption lawyerwiththeCentralBureauofInvestigation(CBI)inNew Delhi, against Modi for ʻabuse of authorityʼ and ʻgrant of undue advantagesʼ in connection with the sale of Rafale, and the facts revealed by Mediapart and Sherpaʼs investigation,” SherpasaidinastatementabouttheRafalecase.

The Sherpa statement added that Anil Ambani, Modiʼs closeassociate;EricTrappier,CEOof DassaultAviation;andtheformerIndianMinisterofDefenseManoharParrikarhavealsobeen targetedinthecomplaintfiledinNewDelhifor“complicity”intheallegedcrime.

AstheModigovernmenthasbeenhidingthefactsrelatedtotheRafaledeal,aTimesofIndia articleofAugust21,2020saidthatthefederalauditorComptrollerandAuditorGeneral(CAG) initsreportdidnotmentionanyoffsetdealsrelatedtoRafaleaircrapurchasedfromFrench companyDassaultAviation.ThearticleaddsthatIndiaʼsMinistryofDefence(MoD)hasdenied anyinformationrelatedtotheRafaleoffsetdealstotheCAG.

RAFALEDEALANDSUPREMECOURTDECISION

In November 2019, the Supreme Court of India had put a final break on the controversial Rafale corruption case. A bench comprising the-then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Justices S.K. Kaul, and K.M. Joseph dismissed the reviewpetitionsseekingreassessmentof thejudgmentthathadrefusedaninvestigationbytheCBIintotheRafalefighterjetdealwith FrenchfirmDassaultAviation.

ApetitionfiledbyAamAadmiParty(AAP)leaderandRajyaSabhamemberSanjaySinghwas seekingacourt-monitoredinvestigationintotheRafaledeal.Anotherpetitionfiledbyformer Indian ministers Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, and lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan had demandedareviewofitsfindingsrelatedtotheprocurementof36Rafalefighterjets.

However, the top court observed arbitrarily that the petitions lacked merits and therefore thereisnoneedfortheCBItoregisterafirstinformationreport(FIR)andstarttheinquiry.

ItisimportanttomentionherethatinMay2019aSupremeCourtcommitteehadexonerated Chief Justice Gogoi who wasblamedofsexualharassmentbyaformerwomanemployeeof the court Most observers believe thattheso-calledinquirywasabiasedexercisetoprotect the Chief Justice and the committee did not follow the law to protect women from sexual harassmentattheirplaceofwork.AergivingawhimsicaljudgmentthatprotectedModiand

hiscolleaguesintheRafalecase,GogoiʼstermasChiefJusticeendedonNovember17,2019, andtheModigovernmentrewardedhimwithaRajyaSabhamembershipinMarch2020.

Since Gogoi had dishonestly tried to protect Modi in the Rafale corruption case, in August 2021, a petition in the Supreme Court had challenged Gogoiʼs appointment to the Rajya Sabha,theUpperHouseofthebicameralParliamentofIndia

RAFALECASECOMPLAINT

The petitioners in the Rafale case–ledbylawyerPrashantBhushan–hadfiledacomplaint with the CBI on October 4, 2018, urging the agency to register an FIR against PM Modiand formerdefenceministerManoharParrikar.

The complaint alleged that the accused have committed a range of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act) over their April 2015 decision to purchase 36 Rafale aircra from Dassault Aviation. The complaint was handed over to Alok Verma, the-then director of the CBI, who was later removed from his position surreptitiously by the Modi government with thehelpofCentralVigilanceCommission(CVC),Indiaʼstopanti-corruption organizationwhichcontrolsCBI.

In a related development, K.V. Chowdary – who had retired as the Central Vigilance Commissioner –washiredasadditionaldirectorontheboardofRelianceIndustriesLimited (RIL) led by Mukesh Ambani, who is a close capitalist friend of Modi. As the CVC of India, ChowdaryhadintervenedtogetallinvestigationsagainstModidropped.

Chowdary was gied the post of CVC in2015forhisroleinprotectingModiunscrupulously. Despite a number of corruption complaints against Chowdary,hegetsoffscot-freebecause thereisnospecificlawtoprosecutehim.AccordingtoanRTIreply,fourcomplaintswerefiled againstChowdarybetweenJanuary2014andAugust2020.

AnewCVCSanjayKothari–whowashandpickedinApril2020–wasequallynotorious,ashe ignoredtheRafalecase.TheofficeoftheCVCisanutterlyuselesssetupwhichmostlyprotects thecorruptgovernmentfunctionariesinsteadofcatchingandpunishingthem.

ItisallegedinthecomplaintthatModi–whoisapublicservant–misusedhispositionasPM ofIndiatogiveunduebenefitintheRafaledealtohiscloseassociateAnilAmbaniwhoisthe ChairmanofRelianceADAgroupofcompaniesandbrotherofMukeshAmbani.

When the complaint reached Indiaʼs top investigating agency CBI, Chowdary allegedly conspired to get CBI director Alok Verma removed from his position. The New York Times (NYT), which is the worldʼs top newspaper based in the US, said in its article that Modiʼs

opaque arms dealhasraisedsomeseriousquestions.Thearticleheadlined“WithʻFishyʼJet Deal,IndiaʼsOppositionFinallyLandsaBlowonModi”appearedinNYT.

It raised questions such as why Modi renegotiated a deal for 36 fighter jets and why a companyrunbyawealthyfamily(Ambanifamily)waschosentoparticipateinthedealwhile it had no experience of building jets TheNYTarticlealsoaskedwhythecostsoftheplanes seemedtojumpsomuchandwhyModiisnotsharingmoredetailsontheRafaledeal.

MURKYCOURTJUDGMENT

Strangely, however, the Supreme Court did not find the need to explore all thesetroubling questions and gaveamurkyjudgmentinfavoroftheModigovernment.Thepetitionershad alleged that the 2018 judgment “relied upon patently incorrect claims made by the governmentinanunsignednotegiveninasealedcover”totheSupremeCourt.

Inordertoseetransparencyinthedecision-makingprocessofthecourt,theyhadrequested for an oral hearing of the petition in an open court. But instead of dealing with the case objectively, the Supreme Court judges – it appears – merely used their whims to dismissit becausethecasetargetedPMModi.ThelesssaidabouttheIndiancourts,thebetter.

In order to highlight corruption in the Rafale deal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi used ʻchowkidar chor haiʼ (PM Narendra Modi as watchman of the country is a thief) slogan extensively before the2019LokSabhaelectiontodiscreditModiforhisallegedinvolvement inthedeal.

Rahul Gandhi oen called Modi a “thief”forstealingRs.30,000crore(~US$4billion)inthe Rafale deal which was handled by Modi in a secret manner. However, aertheshadycourt judgment, Rahul Gandhi and the petitioners had to willy-nilly accept that there was no corruptionintheRafaledealandChowkidarModiisnotachor.

But the new Mediapart articles haveagainbroughttheRafalescandaltothecenterstageof increasing political corruption in India. According to a Mediapart article, in New Delhi on September 23, 2016 the French minister for defence, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar, watched by Éric Trappier, CEO of French company Dassault Aviation,signedoneofthebiggestarmsdealseverconcludedbytheFrenchstate

This was for thesaleof36Rafalefighterjets–madebyDassault–totheIndianstatefor7.8 billion euros To put this sum into context it is the equivalent oftheannualgrossdomestic product(GDP)ofacountrysuchasBenininWestAfrica.

AlthoughMediapartandthenewFlyingLiesbookhaverevealedcorruptionintheRafaledeal, instead of allowing a transparent investigation into the case, the Modi government will

dismiss the reports by saying that it is a politically motivated attempt to malign the Modi government.ThereisalsoapossibilitythattheModigovernmentwillintimidateMediapartor Flying Lies authors by sending frivolous legal notices to them for their Rafale corruption reports.

Earlier, as expected, the Modi government had dismissed the Rafaleinvestigationreporton April5,sayingitisabaselessreportandblamedtheoppositionpartyCongressandʻcorporate rivalryʼ for accusing Modi and his government. But the Modi government hasnotgivenany validargumentinitsdefence.[Clickheretowatcharelatedvideo.]

Since the opposition parties in India are almost extinct and the courts as well as anti-corruption outfitssuchastheLokpal,CVC,andCBIaremostlycomplicitinstatecrimes, theRafalescandalwillonceagainbebrushedunderthecarpet.

The Congress party, however, held a casual press conference in July 2021 to explain the irregularitiesintheRafaledeal.AsCongressisadyingpoliticaloutfit,itshowsitsopposition onlythroughTwitterinsteadofholdingfielddemonstrationsorgoingtothecourtsagainstthe Modigovernmentʼsquestionableactions.

Meanwhile, a new report released by the U.S. Department of State has revealed that widespread corruption is happening at all levels of government in India. In an exclusive section,“CorruptionandLackofTransparencyinGovernment,”thereportassertsthatthelaw provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials at all levels of government in India. However, according to the report, officials frequently engage in corrupt practices with impunity while there were numerousreportsofgovernmentcorruptionduringtheyear.You can click here to read “India Corruption Research Report 2022 (ICRR 2022)” which covers diverseaspectsofcorruptioninIndia.

Donate: You can click here to donate to RMN News Service.

UNODC Takes More Steps to Tackle Global Corruption

AstheguardianoftheUNConventionagainstCorruption,UNODCsupportsover185countries tocooperateandtakeactiontofightcorruption.

GhadaWaly,theExecutiveDirectoroftheUnitedNationsOfficeonDrugsandCrime(UNODC), informs that our communities are losing trillions of dollars and countless opportunities becauseofcorruptionandsaidthatwemusttakeallpossiblestepstostopcorruption.Inher message for the International Day Against Corruption (9 December 2022), Ghada Waly said thatcorruptionthreatensoursecurity,itdrivesorganizedcrime,it corrodesoureconomy,it

crushes opportunities for development, and it traps people in cycles of inequality and poverty.

“On International Anti-Corruption Day,andeveryday,wecanallacttostopcorruption.And wemust,”shesaid.“Aswefacegrowingfinancialuncertainty,escalatingconflicts,andclimate disasters,itismoreimportantthanevertoendcorruption.”

Explaining the role of UNODC in tackling corruption, Ghada Waly said that in 2022 UNODC established its first ʻanti-corruptionʼ regional hubs in Africa and Latin America, to bring its assistanceandexpertiseclosertothepointofdelivery.

It alsoenhanceditscross-bordercooperationthroughtheGlobENetwork,withmembership of 127entitiesfrom69countries,andUNODChasteamedupwiththeWorldBanktobolster assetrecoveryeffortsaroundtheglobe

“In times of emergencies, it is critical to have anti-corruption safeguards in place.Covid-19 response and recovery efforts highlighted that with significant amounts of money come significant risks,” said GhadaWaly,addingthatanti-corruptioneffortswillproveessentialto safeguard climate finance and to ensure that the green transition is not undermined by corruptpractices.TheUNODCchiefsaidthatyouthandchildrenhavethemostatstakewhile bolstering anti-corruption education is central to UNODC work to connect, engage and empowerthenextgenerations.Thisincludesworkingtohelpshieldsportsfromcorruption.

GhadaFathiWalywithUNSecretary-GeneralAntónioGuterres.Photo:UNODC(filephoto)

AstheguardianoftheUNConventionagainstCorruption,UNODCsupportsover185countries to cooperate and take action tofightcorruption.In2023,theConventioncelebratesits20th anniversary It is an opportunity to double global efforts to tackle corruption and ensure integrityacrosstheboardandaroundtheworld,GhadaWalysaidinhermessage.

Corruption Adversely Aects 80% People in India: Survey

Almost all the respondents (97%) say that the anti-corruption agencies of India are not workinghonestly.

A perception survey in the new India Corruption Research Report 2022 (ICRR 2022) reveals that 86% people believe that India is a corrupt country while corruption has adversely affected80%ofthepeopleinIndia.

The findings of the perception survey are given below. These findings were recorded up to September2022andpresentedinanumberofchartswhichareincludedinthereport.

FindingsoftheSurvey

Awhopping86%ofpeoplebelievethatIndiaisacorruptcountry

Corruptionhasadverselyaffected80%ofthepeopleinIndia.Itcanbeinferredthattheother 20%whoarenotaffectedarecommittingcorruptioncrimes.

As Indiaʼs bureaucrats blatantly defy laws and commit financial crimes with impunity, 61% people say in the survey that bureaucrats are responsible for corruption while 34%believe that politicians are causing corruption A smaller number of people – 5% –saythatprivate companieswhichbribethegovernmentfunctionariesareresponsibleforcorruption.

Thirty-two percent people believe that corruption has destroyed the democraticsystemsin India and 20% say corruption is causing unemployment in the country. Injustice, human rightsviolations,inflation,poverty,andhungeraretheotheradverseeffectsofcorruption.

Almost all the respondents (97%) say that the anti-corruption agencies of India are not working honestly. All the anti-corruption agencies – such as the Lokpal, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Lokayuktas, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Economic Offences Wings(EOWs)ofPolice,Statepolicedepartments,andothers–areworkinghandinglovewith thecorruptgovernmentfunctionaries.

Since corrupt bureaucrats and politicians enjoy full impunity and the judicial systems are quite weak in India, 97% people said in the survey that the corrupt officials and political leadersarenotbeingpunishedsuitably.Asaresult,corruptionisincreasingrapidlyinIndia.

You can click here to read the full report and click here to watch a related video on RMN YouTubeChannel.

Lokayukta Urged to Open Corruption Case Against Delhi MLAs

Please refer to your letter No. C-4522/Lok/2022/2408 dated30.12.2022senttomeregarding thepetitionthatIhadfiledagainstDelhiMLAs.ThesaidletterisreproducedbelowasExhibit 1

Exhibit1:LokayuktaLetterNo.C-4522/Lok/2022/2408dated30.12.2022

As you have asked, I verify / authenticatetheinformationgiveninmypetitiondatedMay8, 2022(reproducedbelowforyourreadyreference) SinceIdonothaveresourcestocommute and spend money in this case, you are requested to consider this communication as my affidavit for the said petition that I had filed. I also request you tocompletelyrevampyour corruption complaint management, investigation, and prosecution processes if you really want to weed out corruption from the government systems. Instead of bothering the TheIntegrityBulletinonGlobalCorruptionNewsandViews

complainants with multiple requirements such as affidavits, paper documents, etc., you shoulddeploytechnologytomakethecompletesystemonline.

As a journalist and anti-corruption activist, I have been observing that the government anti-corruption agencies keep tossing the corruption complaints between different departmentsorkeepsendingtheperfunctoryletterstothecomplainants Buttheyneverdare toformallyinvestigatetheaccused.Theinvestigationshappenonlywhensomepoliticalangle isinvolved.Thatiswhycorruptionisincreasingrapidlyinthecountry.

Ihavestatedsomeofthesefactsinthe“IndiaCorruptionResearchReport2022(ICRR2022)” that I have compiled and released recently. You can click here to download and study the report.InordertobringtransparencyintheLokayuktaprocesses,youarerequestedtoputall the communications related to my petition on the Lokayukta website, which alsoneedsan immediateredevelopment.

Note:Iwillbeavailableforonlinemeetings/videoconferencingtoexplainvariousaspectsof thecasetotheLokayuktaoffice.Requestforanearlyresponse.

Thecasedetailsarereproducedinthe12-pagedocument.Youcanclickheretodownloadand studythedocument.

ThankYou

RakeshRaman

Research Project on Corruption in India Launched for 2023

The report ICRR 2023 will be the second annual report which will be publishedbytheRMN Foundation - which is the humanitarian initiative of RMN (Raman Media Network) News Service.

While India is already perceived to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world, bureaucraticandpoliticalcorruptionisstillincreasingdramaticallyinthecountry.

However,thereisnoreliableinformationavailableontheextentofcorruption Thisresearch project - being carried out by the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation - aims to compileacomprehensivereport-underthetitleIndiaCorruptionResearchReport2023(ICRR 2023)-ondiverseaspectsofcorruptioninIndia.

The findings of the report will help the central as well as state governments inthecountry make actionable strategies to combat corruption. The report will also be equally useful for otherstakeholdersincludingbusinesses,politicalparties,andinternationalorganizations

The report ICRR 2023 will be the second annual report which willbepublishedbytheRMN Foundation - which is the humanitarian initiative of RMN (Raman Media Network) News Service ThefirstreportICRR2022wasreleasedinOctober2022 [Youcanclickheretostudy theICRR2022inebookformat.]

IndiaCorruptionResearchReport2023(ICRR2023)ProjectbyRMNFoundation/RMNNewsService

STAKEHOLDERSANDOBJECTIVES

Thereportwillstrengthentheanti-corruptioneffortsofthegovernmentagenciessuchasthe Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), anti-corruption authority Lokpal, anti-corruption ombudsman organizations Lokayukta in different Indian states, the anti-corruption wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and other departments run by traditional bureaucrats.

The report will provide necessary inputs to the business community including industry associations such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII),theAssociatedChambersof Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), the Federation of Indian Chambers of CommerceandIndustry(FICCI),andforeignbusinessassociationsthatoperateinIndia.

In its international coverage, the report will enable the globalanti-corruptionorganizations particularly under the UN umbrella and international lawmakerstounderstandthereasons and scope of corruption in India. It will help them strategize theirrelationshipwithIndiain ordertofocusontheachievementofSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs).

RESEARCHREPORTCOMPONENTS

TheresearchprojectisbeingspearheadedbyRakeshRamanwhoisanationalaward-winning journalistandfounderofRMNFoundation.

People and organizations from all over the world are invited to join hands with RMN Foundation as donors, volunteers, and partners for the ICRR 2023 project and other humanitarianactivitiesfordiversecommunities

YoucanclickheretoknowtheICRR2023projectanddonationdetails.

Missing Data Opens the Door to Corruption in Europe: Access Info

Access Info notes that one of the biggest challenges to ensuring the transparency of data collectedaspartofanti-corruptionandintegritymechanismsisconcernsaboutpersonaldata protection.

Access Info - which campaigns for access to information in Europe - is calling on European governments to do more to ensure that the data needed for preventing corruption is both collectedandmadepublic.

In the wake of the recentrulingfromtheCourtofJusticeoftheEuropeanUnion,whichhas already suspended access to beneficial ownership registers in various countries, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany,Ireland,Luxembourg,MaltaandtheNetherlands,Access Info warns that it is not only data on theownersofbusinessesthatismissing.AccessInfoʼs research as part of theGlobalDataBarometersurveyrevealsanaveragescoreforEuropean countries(20EUcountriesplustheUK)foranti-corruptiondataofjust42%.Dataismissingon

keyinstrumentssuchasassetsdeclarations(39%Europeanaveragescore),ownershipofland (20%),andlobbying(18%).Thescoreforbeneficialownershipregisterswasalreadyonly34% beforetherecentCourtruling

When it comes to individual European countries, relatively stronger performers on anti-corruptiondataaretheUK(67%),followedbyEstonia(59%),France(56%)andDenmark (55%).ThecountrieswiththeleastdataavailableareLithuania(30%)andMalta(30%).

“Unless corruption-prevention measures areimplemented in a consistent manner across the whole of Europe, corruption and organized crime will take advantage of countrieswiththeweakestcontrols,”saidHelenDarbishire (pictured),ExecutiveDirectorofAccessInfo.“Withnodata, anti-corruptionagencies,investigativejournalists,andcivil society organizations canʼt do their work, public trust in government declines, and the only winners are those engagedinillegalactivities.”

The Global Data Barometer survey also found that even whendatadoesexistbecauseitiscollectedbygovernments,itisoenonlyaccessibletothe public with difficulty, aer requests or even payment such as forcompanyownershipdata, andmanytimesisnotprovidedinopendataformats.

Access Info notes that one of the biggest challenges to ensuring the transparency of data collectedaspartofanti-corruptionandintegritymechanismsisconcernsaboutpersonaldata protection. While recognising the legitimacy of protecting privacy, it is clear that a proper balancingneedstobedone.

“Those who enter public life, such as by assuming public office, engaging in lobbying, or owningcompanies,needtoacceptacertaindegreeofscrutinyinthegreaterpublicinterests of preventing corruption, tax evasion, money laundering and organized crime,” said Rachel Hanna,LegalResearchandCampaigneratAccessInfo.

AccessInfoinMay2022launchedaWorkingGrouponPrivacy,andisnowworkingwiththese legal experts on proposals for the criteria on striking the correct balance between transparency,privacy,anddataprotectioninthecontextofanti-corruptionmeasures.

Access Info is also working with the Open Spending EUCoalitionandtheOpenContracting PartnershiponadetailedmappingofhowthisbalanceisbeingstruckacrossEurope,soasto contributetoanevidence-baseddebateonthebestsolutionsinlawandinpractice.

Crime, Corruption, and Impunity in India

Politicians, bureaucrats, police, and judges have formed a criminal gang in India. The following cases depict how they collude with criminals and commit crimes and corruption with impunity while the ordinary citizens are suffering. Click the following links for details.

Cabinet Secretariat Case Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) Case

Prime Minister Office (PMO) Case Delhi Lokayukta Case

DoPTCase CBI Case

Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Case

Supreme Court Case

Delhi Govt Case Delhi Petitions Committee / CVC Case

NHRC Case School Education Case

Environmental Crime Case Lokpal Removal Case

Judicial Corruption Case

RCS Corruption Case

AAPCorruption Case Widehouse Scandal

NHRC Case at UN HRC IAS Group Corruption Case

CPGRAMS Cases PGMS Cases

IAS Corruption Record

UNCAC Petition

Delhi Police Case DoPTProcesses

RCS RTI Violations

DDACorruption Case

Petitions and Representations by Rakesh Raman. Up to January 2023

CorruptioninDelhiGroupHousingSocieties

The cooperative grouphousingsocieties(CGHS)ofDelhihavebecomedangerouscentersofcrime and corruption The crimes in these housing societies are being committed by the management committee (MC) members or administrators in connivance with the corrupt officials of Registrar CooperativeSocieties(RCS)ofDelhiGovernment,DelhiDevelopmentAuthority(DDA),DelhiPolice, DelhiPollutionControlCommittee(DPCC),andafewotherdepartments.Inordertostopcrimesin thehousingsocieties,thelocalresidentsshouldnotfeelscaredandformallycomplainagainstthe criminalMCmembers,administrators,andgovernmentfunctionaries.Clickherefordetails.

ShortStoriesofCorruptionintheWorld

TheEUsaysitwilllaunchproceedingstoremoveparliamentaryimmunityfromtwoMEPs implicatedinanongoingcorruptionscandal.ParliamentaryPresidentRobertaMetsolasaid shehadtakenthemoveaerarequestfromBelgianpolice.Butherstatementdidnotname the MEPs involved. The scandal erupted last month aer one MEP and threeotherswere arrestedonchargesofcorruptionandmoney-laundering.ReadMore

VietnamʼsNationalAssemblyhasvotedtodismisstwodeputyprimeministersfromtheir posts, a government statement said, in what analysts believe is a new escalation in an anti-corruption crackdown. There was no explanation of parliamentʼs decision toremove Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam on January 5 but the move comes at atimewhenthe Communist-ruledcountryisintensifyingitsfightagainstcorruption.ReadMore

A former Bolivian interior minister was sentenced tonearlysixyearsinU.S.prisonon January 4 for taking at least $532,000 in bribes to helpaFloridacompanywinalucrative contract to sell tear gas to his country's government. Arturo Murillo pleaded guilty in October to a single count of conspiracy to commit money laundering following similar guilty pleas entered by his former chief of staff and three men tied to the Florida-based supplierofpoliceandmilitaryequipmenthetriedtofavor.ReadMore

The T10 sports Management has denied reports ofanycorruptpracticesandsaidthat the competition is under International Cricket Council (ICC) probe for illegal practices.As per media reports on January 7, 2023, the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has received severalreportsregardingcorruptpracticesintherecenteditionoftheAbuDhabiT10which tookplacefromNovember23toDecember4,2021.ReadMore

South Koreaʼs former President Lee Myung-bak has received a presidential pardon, cutting short his 17-year prison sentence for corruption. South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol issued the pardon for Lee in December 2022 as part of mass pardons that are commonintheEastAsiancountryaroundnationalholidays.ReadMore

A court in military-ruled Myanmar in December 2022 convicted the country's ousted leaderAungSanSuuKyiofcorruption,sentencinghertosevenyearsinprisoninthelastof astringofcriminalcasesagainsther,alegalofficialsaid.Thecourt'sactionleavesherwith a total of 33 years to serve in prison following a series of politically tinged prosecutions sincethearmytoppledherelectedgovernmentinFebruary2021.ReadMore

Media Reports on Corruption in India

Former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar were arrestedbytheCBIonDecember23,2022inacaselinkedtoallegedirregularitiesinanover ₹3,000-croreloanprovidedtotheVideoconGroupwhenshewasheadingtheprivatesector bank.ChandaKochhar,59,hadquitasCEOandmanagingdirectorofICICIBankinOctober 2018overallegationsthatshefavouredVideoconGroup,aconsumerelectronicsandoiland gasexplorationcompany.ReadMore

Continuing his perform or perish drive and zero tolerance for corruption, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved forced retirement for 10 senior DoT officials, including a joint secretary, an official source said on December 24 This is the first time employeesintheDepartmentofTelecomhavebeengivenforcedretirementundersection 56(J)underPensionRule48ofCCS(Pension)Rules,1972.ReadMore

TheCentralBureauofInvestigation(CBI)hasreopenedacorruptioncaseagainstformer chiefministerLaluPrasadYadav,monthsaertheBiharreversalinwhichhispartytiedup with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United (JDU) and formed thegovernment.TheCBIhadin 2018 started a probe into allegations of corruption in the allotment of Railway projects whenMrYadavheldtheportfoliointheUPA-1government.ReadMore

TwodaysaertheCentralBureauofInvestigationarrestedformerICICIBankCEOandMD Chanda Kochhar along with her husband Deepak Kochhar, the agency arrested Videocon Chairman Venugopal Dhoot in the ICICI Bank fraud case. All three have been arrested in connectionwithallegedcheatingandirregularitiesinloanssanctionedbyChandaKochhar toVideoconforkickbacksbyDhoottoDeepakKochhar'scompany.ReadMore

AcontractorinKarnataka'sTumakurudistrict,about70kmfromcapitalBengaluru,has died by suicide, reviving allegations of corruption against the Basavaraj Bommai-led government.ThecontractorhasbeenidentifiedasTNPrasad.Hewastaskedtocompletea governmentprojectunderSmartCityProjectworthRs.16crores.ReadMore

The names of people caught through decoy operations in corruption cases cannot be made public till they are found guilty in trial, officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Rajasthan havebeentoldinacontroversialorder.Thestate'soppositionBJPhasattacked the Ashok Gehlot government, saying this is evidence that the government is supporting corruption.ReadMore

UN and IACA Join Hands to Stop Illicit Financial Flows

JonathanGranoffisanAmericanlawyer,screenwriterandlecturer

The Permanent Observer for the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), Jonathan Granoff, presented his letter of appointment to UN Secretary-General António Guterres December21,2022,atUNHeadquartersinNewYorkCity.

JonathanGranoffwithUNSecretary-GeneralAntónioGuterres.Photo:IACA

AccordingtoIACA,Secretary-GeneralGuterresandPermanentObserverGranoffmetinprivate andduringtheirsubstantivediscussiontheSecretaryGeneralexpressedhisappreciationand supportforthemissionofIACA.

In addition, they shared the importance of effectively ending the illicit financial flows that drain resourcesneededtoachievethefulfillmentoftheSustainableDevelopmentGoals.Mr. Granoff thanked him for his leadership in working for greater multilateral cooperation and peace.

JonathanGranoffisanAmericanlawyer,screenwriterandlecturer,widelyknownasPresident of the Global Security Institute, Senior Advisor and United Nations Representative of the WorldSummitsofNobelPeaceLaureates

AccordingtoIACA,Mr.GranoffwasnominatedfortheNobelPeacePrizein2014.

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Private Investment Funds Vulnerable to Money Laundering in Latin America: Report

The new Global Financial Integrity (GFI) report Private Investment Funds in Latin America: MoneyLaunderingandCorruptionRisksexaminesthemoneylaunderingriskfactors.

Overthelastdecades,theprivateinvestmentfundsectorhasgrownintoamultitrillion-dollar industry.Privateinvestmentfundsarevulnerabletomoneylaunderingbecausetheycontain avarietyofstructuralriskfactorsthathelpcamouflageillicitbehavior.

AccordingtoGlobalFinancialIntegrity(GFI),a2020leakedbulletinfromtheFederalBureauof Investigationfoundthatcriminalswereusing“privateplacementfundsincludinginvestments offered by private equity firms and hedge funds, to circumvent the anti-money laundering (AML)programsofotherfinancialinstitutionsandlaundermoney.”

The new GFI report Private Investment Funds in Latin America: Money Laundering and Corruption Risks examines the money laundering risk factors associated with these private investmentfundsinLatinAmerica.Itanalyzestheringofactorsandfacilitatorsinvolved,the TheIntegrityBulletinonGlobalCorruptionNewsandViews January2023 Page: 24of27

methodsofcontactusedbyperpetratorsandthechannelsutilizedtomoveillicitmoney.The regionʼsgeographic,economic,historic,andculturalproximitytotheU.S.hasmeantthatthe US and US policies have always hadanoutsizedimpactonthepoliticsandeconomiesof thecountriesintheregion.

A 2021 GFI report dubbed Acres of Money Laundering: Why the U.S. is a Kleptocratʼs Dream found that 54 percent ofrealestatemoneylaunderingcasesweretied to illicit funds from the region. “In the popular imagination,themoneylaunderingcapitalsoftheworld are small countries with historiesoflooseandsecretive financial laws But thereʼs a good argument that, right now,thebestplacetohideandlaunderill-gottengainsis actually the United States,” said the U.S. Treasury Secretary in a statement in 2021, according to a statementissuedonDecember22,2022byGFI.(Photo:GFI)

The Private Investments Funds in Latin America report provides a series of case studies and analyzes AML regulation of privateinvestmentfundsinfourcountries; Brazil,Mexico,ChileandArgentina BrazilremainstheLACregionʼslargestprivateinvestment market.

DataestimatesfromPreqin,analternativeassetsdatabase,revealthataroundUS$38billion, or 44 percent, of total Latin America-based assets under management is concentrated in Brazil.Fromamoneylaunderingstandpoint,aparticularlyinterestingtrendthathasemerged in the Brazilian private investment fund space is the share of family offices in overall investments.

“Despite the scale of wealth under management, ʻfamily officesʼ havelittletonoregulatory oversightinmostpartsoftheworld,”notedTomCardamone,PresidentandCEOatGFI.“This is especiallyconcerninggiventheclosenexusbetweenwealthandcorruptioninmanyparts oftheworld.Theunregulatednatureofthesefundsmakesthemaparticularlyusefulvehicle tomaskproceedsofcorruptionormoneylaundering.”

Additionally, the report uses a series of case studies to highlight how money laundering, corruption and organized crime risks existinprivateinvestmentfundsinLatinAmerica.The risk factors include a customer base oen composed of wealthy individuals, including politicallyexposedpersons;acloserelationshipbetweenfundmanagersandtheirclients(i.e. investors); the use of shell companies and trusts to manage investments; outsourcing

operationsandriskmanagement;weaktransparencyaroundsourceofwealthandsourceof funds; and investment structures which may include multiple accounts in different jurisdictions, including secrecy and tax havens, with funds moving throughaconcentration account.

Global Financial Integrity is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, which analyzes illicit financialflows.

About the Editor

The editor of The Integrity Bulletin news magazine Rakesh Ramanisanational award-winning journalist and founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation. Besides working at senior editorial positions with leading media companies, he was writing an exclusive edit-page column regularly for The FinancialExpress(adailybusinessnewspaperofTheIndianExpressGroup).

Nowadays, for the past 12 years, he has been running his own global news services on multiple news sites. He runs various environment protection, education awareness, and anti-corruptioncampaigns,andpublishesdigitalmagazinesandresearchreportsondifferent subjects.

Earlier, he had been associated with the United Nations (UN) through the United Nations IndustrialDevelopmentOrganization(UNIDO)asadigitalmediaexperttohelpbusinessesuse technologyforbrandmarketingandbusinessdevelopment Atpresent,Rakeshisassociated with the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project as a Country Expert for India to provide expert research inputs on multiple topics pertaining to democracy and governance. The V-Dem Project is managed by V-Dem Institute under theUniversityofGothenburg,Sweden. Currently, he is also working as an editor for Wikipedia, which is a free online global encyclopedia.

In order to inform the Indian citizens and the global community about the extent of corruption in India, he compiled and released in October 2022 a comprehensive report on corruption in the country Under the title “India Corruption Research Report 2022 (ICRR 2022),”theresearchreportcoversdiverseaspectsofcorruptioninIndia.

He has launched a nationwide campaign to introduce social democracy inIndiainorderto build an egalitarian society in which all citizens could enjoy equal rights, opportunities, freedoms,andaccesstojustice.Heisrunninganeditorialsection/microsite“PowerPlay:Lok SabhaElection2024inIndia”tocovertheelectionnews,events,andpoliticalcampaigns.He

is also running a nationwide campaign to save school students of India from directionless educationsothatstudentscouldacquiremodernskillsthatcanhelptheminthejobmarket.

In his anti-corruption activities, he participated in a global petition led by Germany-based international organization Transparency International to call for the UN General Assembly Special Session against Corruption, UNGASS 2021, to direct all countries to set up central, publicregistersofbeneficialownership.

He runs a community-driven anti-corruption social service “Clean House” to help the residents of Delhi raise their voice against the growing corruption and injustice in housing societieswheremillionsofpeoplesufferbecauseoframpantcorruptionandlawlessness.He hasalsoformedanenvironmentprotectiongroupcalledGreenGroupinNewDelhi,whichis themostpollutednationalcapitalintheworld.

As Rakesh has been facing constant threats including death threats for his editorial and anti-corruption work, the Paris-based international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF)thatdefendsfreedomofjournalistshasurgedtheIndiangovernmenttosavehimfrom threatsandpersecution.Youcanclickheretoreadhisfullprofile.

AboutTheIntegrityBulletinProject

The Integrity Bulletin content project is being managed by RMN Foundation, which is the humanitarian initiative of RMN News Service. The Integrity Bulletin news magazine is being circulated among the top UN agencies, global anti-corruption organizations, international law-enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, lawmakers, social activists, politicians,and othersinIndiaandabroad AsthefounderofRMNFoundationandeditorofRMNNewsService,Iam managing this project independently withoutanyfinancialorothersupport RMNNewsServiceis lookingforcollaboratorsacrosstheworldwhocanjoinhandswithittocarryoutmajorcampaigns andprojectstoengagewithdifferentstakeholdersintheanti-corruptiondomain.