Financial Transparency Coalition

A forthcoming report by Global Financial Integrity finds that Syria lost US$23.6 billion in illicit financial outflows from 2000-2009 Syria's regime, led by President Bashar al-Asad, is on the ropes. Protests began in January, following uprisings across the Arab world, and have continued despite the regime's efforts to stop them.  These actions, according to Reuters, included having the Syrian Navy shell protesters in the city of Latakia, killing 36. Even after the crackdown, Syrian officials have not succeeded in quelling the protests. In a sign that the regime may be failing, the Financial Times reported that...

Last May, President Obama delivered his widely viewed “Arab Spring” speech, in which the President made a clear link between combating corruption, the stability of nations and human dignity. Unfortunately, proposed amendments to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, go against the current global trend, and threaten to undermine America’s role as a global leader against corruption. I attended a FCPA briefing on Capitol Hill on September 16th for a new report, “Busting Bribery: Sustaining the Global Momentum of the Foreign Corrupt Practices...

$33 Billion Illicitly Left Libya between 2001-2009, Says Global Financial Integrity Since the forces of the Libyan Transitional Council entered Tripoli last week, Muammar Qaddafi has not been seen, presumably hiding or on the run from the revolution aimed at ending his 42-year rule.  But as pointed out on ABC News last Wednesday, much of the money he looted from the country over the past 4 decades is still at large as well. Citing Global Financial Integrity (GFI) research, ABC notes that at least $33 billion dollars left the country through illicit means in...

BERLIN/DEAUVILLE – Transparency International (TI), the anti-corruption organisation, is calling on the Group of Eight countries to back up its Deauville Summit commitment to aid the fight against corruption in Arab Spring countries with concrete action to ensure recovery of stolen assets, and prevention of their flight in future.