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| Corruption stories of note in the news this month: |
Bangladesh cracks down on corruption
By Stephanie Don
|
| A crackdown on corruption by the interim government of Bangladesh has led to the arrests of more than 30 high level politicians, lawmakers and businessmen and a new proposal “to bar anyone convicted of wrongdoing from running for election under new anti-corruption legislation,” reports the Financial Times. |
The online commercial news and intelligence service Asia Pulse writes that the arrests follow a government-issued list naming 50 prominent individuals suspected of corrupt activities, and requiring them to submit statements on their wealth within 72 hours or risk having their property and assets seized. “The Bangladesh army chief said Tuesday that a corrupt elite had accumulated huge wealth meant for the poor,” writes the Financial Times.
As leader of the interim government charged by the constitution to oversee elections between presidential terms, Fakhruddin Ahmed vowed last month to flush out corrupt elements before holding elections. Originally scheduled for January 11, 2007, the International Herald Tribune reports that Bangladesh’s presidential election was postponed indefinitely due to political impasse and social unrest .
Public outrage at appointment of Israel’s police chief
By Veronica Rossini
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| On 18 February, Israel’s Police Chief Moshe Karadi resigned after a government commission found him guilty of misconduct whilst serving as head of the Israel Police Southern District, the Jerusalem Newswire reports. Kanadi’s resignation comes a few days after Army Chief of General Staff Dan Halutz stepped down after an investment portfolio scandal, writes The Jerusalem Post. |
Public outrage surrounds the choice of his successor, Prisons Service Commissioner Yaakov Ganot, reports the Israeli daily Haaretz. In the 1990s, Ganot was suspended from the police force for three years for “taking bribes, fraud, breach of trust and abuse of police power”, writes Haaretz.
Security Minister Avi Ditcher made it clear at a press conference that “the police just hasn’t been delivering the good for too long… The public just don’t have a feeling of safety at home and on the streets”, explains the Jerusalem Post.
The appointment of Ganot comes at a sensitive time for Israel. when, according American Jewish newspaper The Forward, “the president, prime minister, defence minister, justice minister, finance minister, military chief of staff and Tax Authority director are, or were, under investigation”.
EBRD blacklists German company for corruption
By Veronica Rossini
|
| The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) set a precedent for development banks when on 26 February it blacklisted Lahmeyer, a German engineering company found guilty of corruption on a World Bank project, reports The Guardian. |
Three years ago, the German company bribed an official working for the Lesotho Highlands Water project. In November 2006 Lahmeyer was blacklisted for a seven-year period by the World Bank, a punishment which could be reduced by four years if the company were to implement a corporate ethics programme, reports The Guardian.
The Financial Times points out that it is the first time that a multilateral development bank debars a company for bribery in a project funded by another bank.
The decision taken by the EBRD follows discussions among the multilateral banks on whether or not to accept ‘cross-debarment’.
The Financial Times reports that the news was hailed by anti-corruption campaigners around the world including Transparency International as a success for the drive towards cross-debarment.
For more information, see Transparency International's press release.