Posts

Beneficial ownership and climate crimes: A fishy business

By Matti KohonenFirst published on Tax Justice Network In this blog we explore how climate justice and tax justice advocates can unite and demand beneficial ownership transparency for sectors prone to climate crimes.  As the Tax Justice Network has previously noted, the climate crisis and financial secrecy are closely connected. Immense pressure and a set Read more >

Phala Phala findings ‘raise more questions than answers’ – CSOs

Image: Ziphozonke Lushaba, TimesLive By Khanyisile NgcoboFirst published on TImesLive Civil society organisations say “something doesn’t add up” in the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) findings on the Phala Phala matter and it “raises more questions than answers”. The Reserve Bank on Monday released its findings from a report into the matter after allegations by Read more >

TI Africa: fighting for transparency, integrity, engagement, and accountability 

“You and your … colleagues have taken the lead in the enhancement of transparency relating to beneficial ownership, protections for whistle-blowers, and improved asset recovery mechanisms,” former Constitutional Court justice Richard Goldstone on Wednesday told representatives of Transparency International (TI) chapters from across Africa. Goldstone was delivering the keynote address at TI’s regional meeting for Read more >

Enablers galore: the countries that contribute to illicit financial crimes

By Janine Erasmus – CW Voices In part one of our latest mini-series, we posed the question: who are the real corrupt countries in today’s globalised context? We considered factors such as beneficial ownership transparency, the implementation of the African Union Anti-Corruption Convention, and pan-African collaboration in anti-corruption research. The usual suspects such as Nigeria Read more >

Gold Mafia scandal to be investigated – but can SA authorities pull off a success?

By Kwazi Dlamini President Cyril Ramaphosa, answering to questions in the National Assembly in mid-May 2023, has reiterated his commitment to clamping down on illicit financial activities and money laundering in South Africa. His statement comes weeks after the jaw-dropping Al Jazeera documentary Gold Mafia, which exposed an extensive network of gold smuggling and money Read more >

Zim to investigate gold smuggling after Al Jazeera expose

Image: Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe By Yarno Ritzen and Al Jazeera Investigative UnitFirst published on Al Jazeera The government of Zimbabwe says it will launch investigations into several people involved in gold smuggling and money laundering following the release of an undercover Al Jazeera investigation showing high-ranking officials involved in the illicit gold trade. Gold Mafia, a four-part Read more >

Has SA done enough to avoid joining the FATF grey list?

By James GeorgeFirst published on Moneyweb It’s a loaded question, and a lot has been done such as President Ramaphosa signing two amendments to our anti-money laundering (AML) and anti-terrorism laws in December last year. The real question, however, is whether these amendments are going to translate into actions being taken. Will we see prosecution, Read more >