(November 16, 2006) Malawi police have arrested vice president Cassim Chilumpha on corruption charges, intensifying a political crisis that is paralysing the impoverished southern African country.
Leading anti-corruption campaigner detained over alleged defamation
(November 14, 2006) Campaigner against corruption in the Republic of the Congo is arrested for defaming president: latest move in a campaign of judicial harassment against activists denouncing the looting of Congolese public funds, says international NGO.
WB blacklists Bhasha dam surveyors
(November 12, 2006) The World Bank blacklisting of Lahmeyer International has jeopardized the future of a dam scheme the company is working on in Pakistan; although widely reported by the media, Pakistan authorities say they need to verify the company’s debarment first before taking action. Work on the Bhasha dam project in Pakistan is in jeopardy now that the World Bank has blacklisted the German engineering firm, Lahmeyer International, after finding the company guilty of paying bribes in the multi-billion dollar Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).
Bank bars company for years-old bribery scandal
(November 8, 2006) By paying bribes to the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority’s chief executive, the engineering company Lahmeyer International engaged in punishable activities, the World Bank’s Sanctions Committee found.
World Bank debars Lahmeyer for bribing Lesotho water chief
(November 8, 2006) But some say the sanction is too late in coming.
German firm barred by World Bank for bribery in Lesotho project
(November 7, 2006) The World Bank has suspended contracts to the German engineering firm, Lahmeyer International, after finding the company guilty of paying bribes in the multi-billion dollar Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).
World Bank sanctions Lahmeyer International for corrupt activities in bank-financed projects
(November 6, 2006) The World Bank has declared Lahmeyer International GmbH (Lahmeyer), a German company, ineligible to be awarded Bank-financed contracts for a period of seven years, because of corrupt activities in connection with the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP). The period of ineligibility may be reduced by four years if the Bank determines that Lahmeyer has met specific compliance conditions and fully cooperated with the Bank in disclosing past sanctionable misconduct.
Odious loans must be dealt with fairly
(November 6, 2006) Protests by the World Bank that odious regimes should not receive funding from new lenders ring hollow when viewed alongside the loans that have been knowingly made to oppressive and corrupt regimes, senior economist for the UK-based think tank, New Economics Foundation (NEF), Stephen Mandel writes.
Soft power and hard raw materials: China’s African campaign
(November 6, 2006) Hailed by some as a diplomatic triumph, China’s meeting with the representatives of 48 African states in Beijing at the weekend has also been described as another shift in the geopolitical center of gravity and a sign that China’s economic growth over the last two and a half decades has increasingly global implications.
Taiwan’s premier faces corruption case
(November 3, 2006) Pressure is mounting for Taiwan President Chen Shun-bian to resign: his wife, Wu Shu-chen, and three former presidential aides, face charges of graft and embezzlement; prosecutors say there is evidence to charge the president as well − once he loses the immunity he has while in office.
Foreign aid: This kind of ‘help’ is just no help at all
(October 31, 2006) The multi-billion dollar aid industry has largely failed in Africa. Not only have they failed along with others in the aid industry, most nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have become part of the problem. Not that they will admit their failure.
Odious Debt: definition, application and context
(October 30, 2006) The co-author of Advancing the Odious Debts Doctrine addresses how the doctrine can be applied and in which contexts.
Weeding out corruption
(October 29, 2006) A recent Vatican document summarizing some of the lessons learned in the fight against corruption recommends increased public exposure of wrongdoers and punishment for the guilty, as well as more cooperation between governments in extraditing criminals.
Nigerian leaders ‘stole’ $380bn
(October 20, 2006) “Basically, this money has gone to waste." More than $380 billion has either been stolen or wasted by Nigerian governments since independence in 1960, Nigeria’s chief corruption fighter has said.
Africa loses about 148 billion dollars through corruption annually
(October 19, 2006) Corruption also scares away investors, affects development, entrepreneurship and impedes growth. Sir Quett Ketumile Masire, former president of Botswana has said Africa loses more than $148 billion annually due to corruption.
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