Financial Transparency Coalition

In a joint press conference with Salvadoran President Funes last week, President Obama announced that—through the Central American Security Partnership program—$200 million will be provided to fight drug cartels and organized crime in the region.  The President noted that the money will be used to address “the social and economic forces that drive young people towards criminality,” as well as “help strengthen courts, civil society groups and institutions that uphold the rule of law.”  While this is a more comprehensive effort than has been previously seen, the Obama administration’s plan of attack still falls short. Traditional approaches to...

WASHINGTON – In an effort to catch Mexican drug lords, the federal agency responsible for regulating the gun industry and cracking down on gun crime allowed thousands of weapons to pass into Mexico and fall into the hands of criminals, according to a report by CBS News and other outlets this week.

OK, it seems a bit premature to be thinking about Mexico’s G20 before we’re anywhere near November 2011 and Paris. But there are good reasons to start thinking about 2012 – and good reasons to think that it could be the first G20 that puts financial integrity and the combating of illicit flows right up front and centre. There are important measures that can be pursued in 2011, and pressure must be maintained on President Sarkozy to deliver concrete actions to back his administration’s strong words on the damage done by secrecy in tax havens. With luck, however, the French...

Mexico and Venezuela Lead Region with Most Illicit Outflows The Center for International Policy's (CIP) Global Financial Integrity program (GFI) released a new report this week that estimates the quantity and patterns of illicit financial flows coming out of developing countries. The report, "Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries, 2000-2009," (PDF) finds that approximately $6.5 trillion was removed from the developing world from 2000 through 2008, averaging $725 billion to $810 billion per year. Most notable for Latin America, the new GFI report, authored by Dev Kar and Karly Curcio, places both Mexico...