Financial Transparency Coalition

With governments committing huge sums to tackle the world’s most pressing problems, from the instability of financial markets to climate change and poverty, corruption remains an obstacle to achieving much needed progress, according to Transparency International’s 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), a measure of domestic, public sector corruption released October 2010.

As many of you know, tomorrow (Wednesday, December 9th, 2009) is International Anti-Corruption Day. Among the days festivities, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development is sponsoring a roundtable on the fight against bribery and corruption, and Task Force member Transparency International is hosting a lecture with Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. Both of the events should be fascinating if you get a chance to attend. It's also important to remember that on a day as symbolically important as tomorrow, we (in the developed world) have a tendency to think of corruption solely as a problem...

Task Force Member Global Witness released a new report yesterday detailing the corrupt lifestyle of Equatorial Guinea's Teodorin Obiang, while also detailing the conspicuous inaction on the part of the U.S. government. Global Witness issued the following statement in releasing the report:

Confidential U.S. government documents uncovered by campaign group Global Witness and reported on in today's New York Times, strongly suggest that Teodorin Obiang, son of the dictator of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, purchased a $33 million private jet, a $35 million Malibu mansion, speedboats and a fleet of fast cars using corruptly...