Gemma Aiolfi, Head of Compliance, Corporate Governance and Collective Action at the Basel Institute, gave the opening speech at the 3rd Swiss Global Compact Dialogue today in the Swiss lakeside town of Thun.
The Framework for the Return of Assets from Corruption and Crime in Kenya (FRACCK), agreed and signed by the Governments of Kenya, Jersey, Switzerland and the UK in 2018 with support from the Basel Institute's International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR), is already generating strong interest for its "innovative" and "novel" approach to asset return.
These were the words of Brigitte Strobel-Shaw, Officer-in-Charge of the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of the UNODC, during a May 7-9 International Expert Meeting on the Return of Stolen Assets.
Peru's pioneering Public Finance Management Experts Network has continued to expand, with the Andean city of Cusco being the latest to join.
Experts from the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery and country office in Peru conducted a Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery training workshop in Quito, Ecuador from 6–10 May 2019.
The High Court of Piura in northwestern Peru has announced it will set up a specialised court for cases relating to a new law on extinción de dominio (which roughly translates as "extinction of possession"), a form of non-conviction-based asset forfeiture.
Kenya's Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered 19 corruptly acquired assets worth KES 2,730,571,000 (over USD 27 million) in the first four months of 2019 alone. The assets – a mix of cash and landed properties, including a fire station, Kenya Railways land and a beachfront property – are being returned to the public treasury, along with significant fines paid by individuals convicted of corruption and bribery.
The story of José Velásquez, former student of the Public Finance Management Diploma of our SECO-funded Subnational Public Finance Management Programme in Peru, offers an insight into how smart initiatives to build capacity among public servants can have a real impact. José has won a scholarship to continue his studies at the University of Chile. He plans to return afterwards to his home country in order to apply his new skills and knowledge to improve public financial management processes in Peru.
Introduction by Gemma Aiolfi, Head of Collective Action, Compliance and Corporate Governance at the Basel Institute on Governance:
View our March 2019 newsletter here.
Introduction by Gretta Fenner, Managing Director, Basel Institute on Governance:
View our December 2018 newsletter here.
Introduction by Gretta Fenner, Managing Director, Basel Institute on Governance:
It’s been a great year is the title of our fourth and last newsletter of this year.
That may sound cynical. We have seen more and even bigger corruption scandals revealed, money laundering risks are on the rise, and journalists around the world have lost their lives over reporting about corruption. This is anything but great.