| | | Hi there, In the past week, attempts to weaken the fight against corruption in Guatemala and Tunisia have provoked outrage by citizens who watched as their legislatures tried to introduce laws that let the corrupt off the hook. In Guatemala it revolves around granting immunity to politicians and in Tunisia it's allowing those who stole from the state under the regime of the former President Ben Ali getting amnesties for their crimes.
Remember Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales from a few weeks ago? When he tried to expel the head of the anti-corruption commission, known as CICIG, working under a UN mandate, he was stopped by the Constitutional Court. It seemed clear that Morales was trying to avoid investigation into suspected irregularities in his 2015 election campaign.
Backlash was swift and the anti-corruption commissioner was allowed to stay, however the saga continued this week when Guatemala's Congress approved a "national emergency" decree to get rid of penalties for illegal election financing. Coincidence?
This move triggered more protests in the capital Guatemala City, and although the decision was withdrawn a couple of hours later, for many Guatemalans, it was another blow to anti-corruption efforts in the country and trust in their government and elected officials.
The stark reactions of protesters and the opposition show that they have hope that institutions like the CICIG can change things – which is why they must be protected.
In Tunisia, after two years of protest from civil society, the parliament passed a law granting amnesty to corrupt officials of the Ben Ali-era. This unfortunately has not been withdrawn. Although lawmakers argue that this so-called 'economic reconciliation' is necessary for the country to move on, it flies in the face of the very ideas people were fighting for in Tunisia's 2011 revolution: the need to hold the corrupt accountable.
Drawing a line under the past by pardoning the corrupt is not going to bring justice and equality to the country. Transparency International strongly condemns this new law and urges an open dialogue within Tunisian society. |
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News from Transparency International |
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| | | Call for Applications! We are pleased to announce the launch of the Digital Award for Transparency. This award honours individuals and civil society organisations who have developed innovative digital technology tools used to improve governance in Francophone developing countries - winners will receive 10,000€! Apply here. |
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| | South Africa: McKinsey and KPMG targeted in South Africa graft scandal
Bloomberg (14 September) After helping topple one of Britain’s best known public-relations companies, South African anti-corruption groups are now targeting U.S. consultancy McKinsey & Co. and auditing firm KPMG LLP for doing work for businesses tied to the Gupta family and President Jacob Zuma’s son. |
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| | Natural resources and corruption Venezuela: Venezuela's attorney general details Orinoco oil corruption scheme
TeleSur (14 September) The Venezuelan Attorney General has been giving details of a corrupt production scheme in the Orinoco Oil Belt. Tarek William Saab told the National Constituent Assembly that US$200 million dollars had been embezzled between 2010 and 2017. |
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| | Global: Gunvor in Congo
The Public Eye (12 September, TI mention) Public Eye has investigated some very lucrative contracts that relate to Gunvor’s business in the Republic of Congo. The story’s ingredients are explosive: black gold, politics, and suspicions of corruption. It is a story emblematic of problems that plague the trading sector. And it demonstrates the role of Switzerland in the resource curse, whose victims live in resource-rich countries but remain imprisoned by poverty. |
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| | Zimbabwe: How diamonds fund Zimbabwe’s secret police
Bloomberg (11 September) Zimbabwe’s government is using money earned from diamond exports to fund its Central Intelligence Organisation, blamed for a raft of human-rights abuses as it’s helped to keep President Robert Mugabe in power since 1980, Global Witness said. |
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