Financial Transparency Coalition

Gu Kailai, the wife of Bo Xilai, a rising star in the Chinese Communist Party, has been arrested by Chinese police on suspicion of ordering or arranging the murder of Neil Heywood. Heywood was poisoned this past November. Until now no clear motive for the crime had surfaced.

Following traces of money flowing through the criminal underworld has long been an important strategy for law enforcement. German investigators were trying to do just that, following US$150 million in corrupt money back from Germany to a number of Russian officials. However, the investigators were forced to give up their search after the trail brought them to an anonymous corporation, and uncooperative Russian officials.

At the Center for Global Development / Washington Post forum yesterday, Nigerian Finance Minister and nominee for the World Bank Presidency Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala answered a series of questions about the World Bank, and the challenges it faces moving into the future. The whole interview is available on video here.

Kyrgyzstan is a country that has long been riddled with corruption. Endemic graft and nepotism was a major factor in the 2010 revolution that the country underwent, and attempts by the government to tamp down corruption have been largely unsuccessful since. The country completely disbanded the Finance Police, who used to be their anti-corruption watchdog. In a unique exercise in transparency, Kyrgyzstan will this week be broadcasting the entrance exam for a new anti-corruption agency on live television.