Anti-Corruption Focus May 2012 Transparency International UK’s Quarterly Newsletter www.transparency.org.uk
Top Ten Stories Transparency International UK’s selection of 10 interesting articles or reports about corruption published during the past quarter. 1 The Guardian │ The Leveson inquiry has exposed Britain's growing corruption problem 2 BBC Radio 4 Today │ Sun arrests: Is the freedom of the press at risk? 3 Politics.co.uk │ The UK's democracy is not for sale! 4 The Independent │ The Chemistry Club – a monopoly of influence 5 BBC News │ Cruddas sold access to PM, Sunday Times alleges 6 The Guardian │ Councils should think twice about cutting scrutiny budgets 7 The Telegraph │ Hunt to hand over texts and emails about BSkyB bid to Leveson 8 The Wall Street Journal │ Military-Owned Businesses Pose Unique Corruption Risks 9 The Telegraph │ Greek debt crisis hits bribery culture 10 CNN │ How corrupt Nigerian politician was brought to justice in the UK
Dear Members and Supporters The past few months have been depressing because of the steady stream of corruption scandals in public life in the UK. This trend underlines the validity of the main conclusion of our 2011 report, ‘Corruption in the UK’: namely, that corruption is a growing threat in key sectors but the response to it is patchy and inadequate. TI-UK has therefore been particularly active and I hope this Newsletter will give you more details about what we are doing to tackle UK corruption as well as reduce the UK’s corruption ‘footprint’ overseas.
TI-UK response to recent UK corruption scandals In February, the Met’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers suggested to the Leveson inquiry that some sections of the press have been making regular payments to a network of corrupted public officials. TI-UK responded with an article for the Guardian which can be viewed here. In March, the Sunday Times exposed the Conservative party co-treasurer offering access to the Prime Minister and Chancellor in exchange for donations up to £250,000. TI-UK responded swiftly and released a statement within hours of the story breaking. As a result, TI-UK received extensive media coverage in TV, Radio, and the written press over the following week.
Regional meetings on UK corruption TI-UK is hosting a series of events around the UK to present the findings of the 2011 ‘Corruption in the UK’ report and to look at the wider issue of corruption and how the problem can be tackled. Events in Cardiff, Teesside, and Edinburgh have been held over the past few months with attendees coming from a range of sectors such as law, politics, and academia.
Submissions to Government/Parliamentary consultations TI-UK made both written and oral submissions to a Public Administration Select Committee inquiry on business appointment rules. There appears to be significant interest in our recommendations for a statutory body to enforce more robust rules in a transparent manner. TI-UK made a written submission to a Cabinet Office consultation on a statutory register of lobbyists. TI-UK has also made a written submission to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards consultation on the Review of the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members of Parliament.
Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion As part of the BOND Anti-Corruption Group, TI-UK met Kenneth Clarke in his capacity as Anti-Corruption Champion (ACC) to discuss his role and the Group’s expectation of what it entails. A broad range of issues was covered in the meeting, including enforcement of the Bribery Act, anti-money laundering, due diligence on PEPs, aid and corruption, and coordination of anti-bribery efforts across all UK Government departments.
Corruption in Cricket TI-UK is an active member of the TI International Cricket Council (ICC) working group. In advance of the ICC Board meeting in Dubai in April, the group drafted a letter in the name of Cobus De Swardt (TI Managing Director) to the president of the ICC. The ICC Board discussed the detail of how to take the recommendations from the Woolf report forward. The TI working group will continue to monitor the ICC Board’s actions and recommend appropriate interventions/initiatives by TI.
Transparency International UK Defence & Security Programme (TI-DSP) Research TI-DSP has released three new reports so far this year: a literature review on military-owned businesses, an analysis of current due diligence in offset programmes within the defence industry, and a study on the role of internal audits in addressing defence corruption. The team was also invited to DFID to present its work and findings on recent research on police corruption and military-owned businesses. Africa In February, TI-DSP visited Burundi as part of a bigger TI delegation requested by the President of the country. Our team presented tools which could be used to help in building integrity in their defence and security sectors. TI-DSP also had meetings with heads of security agencies, donors, and civil society in Burundi, Kenya, and Uganda. Our programme is now a member of the Association for Security Sector Reform Education and Training (ASSET), which has put us in contact with a number of partners in Africa including the African Security Sector Network (ASSN) and the Africa Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) among others. Malaysia In April, Transparency International Malaysia hosted a conference in Kuala Lumpur about the importance of including strong anti-corruption provisions in a potential UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The conference, titled “UN Arms Trade Treaty: Tackling Corruption, Saving Lives”, brought together experts from TI-DSP, other members of civil society, representatives of the Malaysian government and from the diplomatic community. It focused on what the ideal mechanisms would be to ensure that a robust ATT addresses corruption in the arms trade and its devastating consequences, as well as on the impact which an ATT could have on the region and for ASEAN.
Member’s news Joe Roeber TI-UK mourns the passing away of Joe Roeber on 6 April. Through his pioneering research on corruption in the arms trade, Joe made a huge contribution to the creation of Transparency International’s International Defence and Security Programme. His expertise, insights, and incisive comments were always greatly admired and valued. He was a staunch supporter of TI and we will all miss him very much. Other news Ian Ross, one of TI-UK’s members, recently spoke at the 5th Forensic Conference for Africa in Kenya. The conference focused on fighting corruption, fraud and money laundering. Mr Ross focussed on the links between money laundering and corruption, and how tackling the problem can be strategically approached in the public sector and the private sector.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in the fight against corruption. To keep abreast of TI-UK’s perspective on developments through our news releases, blog posts and publications, please visit our website www.transparency.org.uk With best wishes, Chandu Krishnan Executive Director, Transparency International UK
Dates for your diary To attend any of the events below, please register with Kate Zechner, TI-UK: events@transparency.org.uk
15th May
Does the UK have a corruption problem? (Manchester)
Location Timing
Ernst & Young, 100 Barbirolli Square, Manchester, M2 3EY 08.30 Breakfast More info… 09.00 Presentation, followed by Q&A
20th June
Corruption in the Arms Trade – Andrew Feinstein
Location Timing
Norton Rose, 3 Moor London Riverside, London, SE1 2AQ 18.00 Registration 18.30 Lecture, followed by Q&A More info… 19.45 Drinks reception
3rd October
Should the UK Give Aid to Countries with High Levels of Corruption?
Location Timing
Norton Rose, 3 Moor London Riverside, London, SE1 2AQ 18.00 Registration 18.30 Panel debate, followed by Q&A 19.45 Drinks reception
22nd November 6th December Speaker Location Timing
TI-UK AGM
More info…
TI-UK Annual Lecture John Githongo Clifford Chance, 10 Upper Bank Street, E14 5JJ 18.00 Registration 18.30 Lecture, followed by Q&A More info… 19.45 Drinks reception
Upcoming conferences and courses 27 June
Anti-Bribery Workshop for Humanitarian and Development NGOs
Transparency International UK (TI-UK) and Mango are pleased to announce a new joint training initiative to address the challenge of bribery in the NGO overseas aid sector. More info… 9 July
General Induction on Bribery and Corruption
This induction course will enable attendees to gain a basic understanding of bribery and corruption in business, the relevant legal framework and the types of bribery risk, and will equip them with the necessary knowledge to deal with challenging ethical situations. More info… 6th & 7th September Anti-Corruption Conference (London) This major international anti-corruption conference for academics and practitioners will be run jointly by the Sussex Centre and TI-UK. Further details will follow on our website. 7-10 November
15th International Anti-Corruption Conference (Brazil)
The 15th IACC will facilitate a cutting edge global exchange around three dimensions related to people: public mobilisation, support for victims and the witnesses of corruption, and most importantly, connecting a global community of people sharing a common mission to create change and crack corruption.
Support TI-UK If you would like to become a member or supporter, or renew your existing membership, please contact Kate Zechner at kate.zechner@transparency.org.uk or on 020 7922 7906, or go online at http://www.transparency.org.uk/support-us Thank you for your support!