Eva Joly Receives 2010 Global Financial Integrity Award for Exemplary Leadership

MEP Accepted Award at Gala Dinner in Washington, DC

Christophe Vaugeois

WASHINGTON, DC — Friday evening, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) presented its 2010 award for Exemplary Leadership to European Parliament Member Eva Joly in honor of her tireless work against corruption and fraud. Ms. Joly accepted the award at a gala dinner held in her honor at a private club Friday evening, December 10, 2010 in Washington, DC.

“Ms. Joly’s career is distinguished and defined by her work against corruption,” said GFI Director, Raymond Baker. “In pursuing the Elf Aquitaine case Ms. Joly bravely ignored threats to her life in order to see justice served. As a member of the European Parliament and as Chair of the Parliament’s Development Committee, Ms. Joly is fighting to curtail illicit outflows from developing countries and do away with banking secrecy and corruption.”

“We are only at the beginning of this fight… There is still a lot of work to do,” said Mme Joly, accepting the award. “This is our responsibility: to clean up the financial system, to ask for reforms… With your thoughts, with your energy, [we] can achieve a lot.”

A prominent figure in European politics, Ms. Joly was named Reader’s Digest’s European of the Year in 2002 and been the subject of numerous articles, books, and a 2006 French film L’Ivresse du pouvoir.

Former New York Country District Attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau was the recipient of GFI’s 2009 Award for Exemplary Leadership.