Financial Transparency Coalition

In January of next year Nigerians will head to the polls to elect their next president. Nigeria’s exercise in democracy has so far lasted slightly over a decade, beginning with the country’s transition to civilian government in 1999 after a long period of military rule punctured with failed stabs at democracy. To alleviate ethnic and religious divisions, the current system includes a power-sharing agreement between the Muslim North and Christian South. By law, each term should alternate between a Northerner and Southerner, though the last three presidents have muddled the intended fluctuations. There are those who claim this election will...

Yaoundé, Cameroon, sits at the heart of Central Africa. The region is rich with mineral and forestry wealth which has been exploited ruthlessly by colonial powers and powerful corporations for centuries. You need only read the short historical paragraph on Yaoundé's Wikipedia entry to get a sense of this past and present intrusion by external powers. Much of Central Africa's wealth disappears offshore, and constant exploitation has exposed the region to deep rooted political and commercial corruption. This is the context in which tax justice researchers and campaigners...

Does legal corruption exist? Unfortunately yes, and it poses a major challenge to the anti-corruption fight. Friendship is hardly banned by law, but friendship between political leaders and business people can hurt credibility or legitimacy of the decisions of the former, when the latter make them friendly gifts or donations. The claim for transparency is also a claim for true accountability of the decision makers, whether in the political or in the business world. Informal and opaque networks often advance their financial interests by using the discrepancy between what is formally condemned by law and what would shock every honest...

Cumulative Illicit Financial Flows out of India from 2000-2008 Total Over US$125 Billion

India’s economic boom continues with an average growth rate of over eight percent between 2004 and 2009 by GFI calculations. As the money flows, however, the poor continue to stay poor. Corruption is rampant in India as it is in almost all developing countries. Both corrupt political and corporate officers manage to siphon off funds – intended to aid the people of India – off to political and private sector elite. Recent efforts in India to challenge this corrupt affront on humanity have been met with severe...