Financial Transparency Coalition

If you read my posts, you might be aware that when it comes to bribery and corruption I am often skeptical and even more frequently condemnatory. But I also try to give credit where it’s due. Despite my criticisms and my often snarky tone, my message is one of guarded optimism. I am optimistic in the face of the shortcomings and the outright failings of our international systems because I see a positive trajectory. More trials of foreign bribery, more exposures of government corruption, and more revelations of dictator’s deposits in foreign banks are all good signs. Of...

On October 12th, 2002, a group of terrorists detonated three bombs on the island of Bali in Indonesia, killing 202 and injuring 240 more. The two larger bombs targeted foreign tourists in a nightclub area and the smaller bomb detonated outside the United States consulate and caused minor damage. In 2008, Indonesia executed three of the more than 30 people convicted in connected with the mass murders. Many of these convicts were associated with Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a militant Islamist group in Southeast Asia. The United States believes JI has ties to al-Qaeda and (had) a relationship with Osama...

Delaying Release of Final Rules on Extractive Industries Disclosure Law Will Hurt Developing Countries, Could Weaken Enforcement The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced in April that the final rules for Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection act could be delayed until sometime between August and December 2011, at the earliest.  Once enacted, Section 1504 would require companies operating in the oil, gas and mining industries (the extractive industries) that have to report to the SEC, which includes—at a minimum—all such companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges, to report payments made to the...

In the wake of Egypt’s revolution that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down on February 11th, the country’s interim government has been making a lot of changes, including taking action against the former administration. The government imprisoned a host of powerful former statesmen under Mubarak including Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, sons of the former president, all of whom authorities detained for 15 days and questioned about corruption and abuse. Also imprisoned were Ahmed Nazif, the former prime minister; Zakaria Azmi, the president’s right-hand man; and Fathi Sorour, the former speaker of Parliament. In April, Egypt’s...