LITIGATION

Mdluli charge sheet under wraps

Former crime intelligence head Richard Mdluli and his two co-accused, Heine Barnard and now Solomon Lazarus, don’t have long to wait until they go on trial. However, South Africans may have to wait until the trial begins in August to know the crimes for which the trio has to answer. According to media reports, the Read more >

CORRUPTION SNAPSHOTS

Global corruption snapshots: 22 May 2015

Counterfeit goods are big business in Paraguay Business is booming in the city of Ciudad del Este along the Paraná River, where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet. The city centre is a warren of street vendors and malls selling goods to flocks of tourists — clothing, footwear, electronics, video games, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.- USA Today Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Bribery and money-laundering are top business risks

Risk mitigation company Kroll, with Compliance Week, has released the 2015 Anti-Bribery and Corruption Report. First launched in 2011, the survey seeks to give professionals in the compliance field a wide-ranging insight into anti-bribery and anti-corruption programmes. According to the report, chief compliance officers (CCOs) can expect to take away “a comprehensive view of the Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

Corporates not shying away from bad behaviour

Ernst & Young’s (EY) 14th global fraud survey (GFS) for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, was released on 14 May. The report reveals a trend of unethical behaviour in corporates that is driven by pressure to achieve higher revenue and greater earnings growth. Titled Fraud and corruption – the easy option for growth?, the Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

SA government corruption contributes to overfishing

Some material supplied by University of Gothenburg Bribery among government officials who inspect fishing along the coast of South Africa contributes to overfishing – this is shown in a new peer-reviewed study. Researcher Aksel Sundström, a PhD candidate in Political Science at Gothenburg University in Sweden, examines how bribes and corruption hamper the implementation of Read more >

CORRUPTION NEWS

How open is your government?

The World Justice Project (WJP), which works to advance the rule of law, recently launched its 2015 Open Government Index. This, says the organisation, is its first effort at measuring government openness around the world, and is based on ordinary people’s experiences and perceptions as they interact with their governments. Openness, says WJP, is a Read more >

HEROES & ZEROES

Honest cop nets big fish

Our hero this week is an honest cop who will have nothing to do with corruption. Colonel Hansia Asaram – now Hansraj – heads the Goodwood police station, and it was her diligence in pursuing what she suspected was corruption in the ranks, which led to charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering being laid Read more >

OUTREACH AND EVENTS

TI and CW engage with young corruption busters

Transparency International (TI) and its South African chapter Corruption Watch held a workshop on youth and corruption in Johannesburg in early May. Delegates from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe took part in the discussion, which centred on the goal of building an environment which enables young people to thrive in all facets of society without Read more >

POLICY AND ADVOCACY

Civil society victory as Alderman steps down

Corruption Watch, with five other organisations, last week wrote an open letter to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to express disappointment that Richard Alderman would sit on the high-level advisory panel reviewing OECD efforts on bribery. Their voices did not go unheard – the Financial Times reports today that Alderman, a former Read more >