Tag: corruption

SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS: Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) | Anticorruption Mechanism of the OAS

The Follow-Up Mechanism for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) is the Anticorruption Mechanism of the OAS. It brings together 33 of the 34 Member States to review their legal frameworks and institutions in the light of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption.

In the 16 years that it has been in operation, the MESICIC has adopted more than 100 reports with recommendations for States to strengthen their legal frameworks and institutions to effectively combat corruption in areas such as prevention of conflict of interests; conservation of public resources; government procurement; government hiring; ethics training; systems for registering income, assets and liabilities; civil society participation in the fight against corruption; internal oversight in companies to detect and prevent corrupt practices; criminalization of acts of corruption, such as transnational bribery and illicit enrichment; protection of whistleblowers; mutual assistance in prosecuting and punishing those who commit acts of corruption and, as appropriate, their extradition; and oversight bodies responsible for the prevention, detection, punishment and eradication of such acts.

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Presentation by Professor Trevor Munroe – JCA Anti-Corruption Day Celebrations Dec 7 2018

Chairperson, Members of the Platform, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning. May I thank the Jamaica Customs Agency for this invitation to share in your commemoration of International Anti-Corruption day 2018. Allow me to congratulate the JCA for developing this tradition of an annual commemoration of International Anti-Corruption Day, a celebration in which countries all over the world partake. Justifiably so, because countries big and small, rich and poor, north, south, east and west suffer along with Jamaica and the Jamaican people from corruption, a corruption in which the United Nations estimates that one trillion dollars is paid in bribes to public officials everywhere, including Jamaica, and that 2.6 trillion dollars is stolen from the global economy according to the United Nations again. No wonder the nations of the world agreed in 2015 that “sustainable development” is not attainable without more effective combat of bribery and corruption….

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Flipping the corruption myth | Jason Hickel | Al Jazeera

Corruption is a major driver of poverty, to be sure. But if we are to be serious about tackling this problem, the Corruption Perceptions Index map will not be much help. The biggest cause of poverty in developing countries is not localised bribery and theft, but the corruption that is endemic to the global governance system, the tax haven network, and the banking sectors of New York and London. It’s time to flip the corruption myth on its head and start demanding transparency where it counts.
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When Corruption is Normalized, Everyone Suffers

Once again, and with great reluctance, I have been moved to comment on an issue of national importance in our Federation.  The issue of consideration here is the Virdee & Trutschler v NCA Court Judgement released last week that suggests that our Prime Minister may have been involved in certain dealings that could be interpreted as… Read More

“Bribery, Cooperation, and the Evolution of Prosocial Institutions” By Michael Muthukrishna

Reproduced from: http://evonomics.com/corruption-cultural-evolution-cooperation-bribery/ [with emphasis added, maths corrected] Bribery, Cooperation, and the Evolution of Prosocial Institutions  How the science of cooperation and cultural evolution will give us new tools in combating corruption  By Michael Muthukrishna There is nothing natural [1] about democracy. There is nothing natural about living in communities with complete strangers. There is nothing natural about… Read More

Truth NEVER lies and WILL ALWAYS RISE from the ashes

“The way of Jesus is thus not a set of beliefs about Jesus. That people ever thought it was is strange, when we think about it — as if one entered new life by believing certain things to be true, or as if the only people who can be saved are those who know the… Read More

The National Integrity System

Reproduced from:  CONFRONTING CORRUPTION: THE ELEMENTS OF A NATIONAL INTEGRITY SYSTEM – The TI Source Book 2000 by JEREMY POPE Chapter 4 p 31-40 Download the PDF The structure has been erected by architects of consummate skill and fidelity; its foundations are solid; its compartments are beautiful as well as useful; its arrangements are full of wisdom… Read More

The Right to Information – Information, Public Awareness and Public Records

Reproduced from:  CONFRONTING CORRUPTION: THE ELEMENTS OF A NATIONAL INTEGRITY SYSTEM – The TI Source Book 2000 by JEREMY POPE Chapter 24 p 235-246 Download the PDF Knowledge is the true organ of sight, not the eyes. Panchantantra (c. 5th century) The public, it is often said, has a “right to know.” But does it have such… Read More

Public Procurement: Where the Public and Private Sectors Do Business

Mention the subject of corruption in government and most people will immediately think of bribes paid or received for the award of contracts for goods or services, or – to use the technical term – procurement.[note]For details, see General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Agreement on Government Procurement, 1988; United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL); Model Law on Procurement of Goods, Construction and Services, 1994; World Bank Guidelines for Procurement Under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits, 1995; Official Journal of the European Communities, Procurement Directives; and International Trade Centre UNCTAD/GATT, Improving Public Procurement Systems, 1993.[/note]

Few activities create greater temptations or offer more opportunities for corruption than public sector procurement. Every level of government and every kind of government organisation purchases goods and services, often in quantities and monetary amounts that defy comprehension. Whether this is really the most common form of public corruption may be questionable but without doubt it is alarmingly widespread and almost certainly the most publicised. Hardly a day goes by without the revelation of another major scandal in public procurement somewhere in the world.

It has been the cause of countless dismissals of senior officials, and even the collapse of entire governments. It is the source of astronomical waste in public expenditure, estimated in some cases to run as high as 30 percent or more of total procurement costs. Regrettably, however, it is more talked about than acted upon.

To the non-specialist, the procurement procedures appear complicated, even mystifying. They are often manipulated in a variety of ways, and without great risk of detection. Some would-be corrupters, on either side of transactions, often find ready and willing collaborators. Special care is needed, as the people doing the buying (either those carrying out the procurement process or those approving the decisions) are not concerned about protecting their own money, but are spending “government” money…

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Conflict of Interest, Nepotism and Cronyism

A conflict of interest arises when a person, as a public sector employee or official, is influenced by personal considerations when doing his or her job. Thus, decisions are made for the wrong reasons. Perceived conflicts of interests, even when the right decisions are being made, can be as damaging to the reputation of an organisation and erode public trust, as an actual conflict of interest. In some countries, the law makes it compulsory for public agencies to have Codes of Ethics which cover these matters. Most countries consider the matter so important, and so fundamental to good administration, that they have a specific conflict of interest law. This can provide that e.g. “a State officer or employee shall not act in his official capacity in any matter wherein he has a direct or indirect personal financial interest that might be expected to impair his objectivity or independence of judgment.”

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