Mr Abdou Latif Coulibaly, an eminent journalist who, for ten years, has devoted himself to the fight against corruption, was nominated by TI’s national chapter in Senegal, Forum Civil. Mr Coulibaly is the head of the first Senegalese private press group. He is an outspoken contributor to the fight against corruption, ensuring its place on the agenda of Senegal’s public administration and its development partners. Mr Coulibaly has brought to light the biggest financial scandals, embezzlement cases, and irregularities in public contracting. After he published a book in 2003 on the government’s poor governance practices, he suffered serious pressure and death threats, and has been the object of the political elite’s spite.

The Movement for Quality Government (MQG) was nominated by SHVIL Israel, the Israeli chapter of TI. MQG is recognised as the nation’s pre-eminent government watchdog organisation, increasing public awareness of corruption in Israel. This apolitical and independent movement keeps the pressure on the government to address social and civic issues despite it’s preoccupation with security issues. MQG’s has helped to install principles of sound public administration and quality government by: shining the light on secret coalition agreements, and exposing financial arrangements connected to the state’s annual budget, establishing a rule requiring “Special Skills” for political appointments.

Mr Khairiansyah Salman is an auditor at the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in Indonesia who revealed grand corruption in the procurement activities of the General Election Commission and then exposed the bribery of the Commission’s members. This act angered the head of the BPK and Mr Salman was accused of violating the code of conduct. He was then openly accused in the media of entrapping the Commission member to bribe him. Mr Salman who is protected under the Corruption Eradication Commission’s witness protection scheme (KPK) is now working with the Aceh and Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR). His cooperation with the KPK has enabled the Commission to uncover a USD 2.1 million scandal in the General Electoral Commission which involved virtually all of its members. Nominated by TI Indonesia, Mr Salman received a 2005 Integrity Award in recognition of his extraordinary courage in revealing corruption at the Indonesian Electoral Commission.