It has taken nearly 20 years, but a decision by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has cleared the way for the return of around USD 8.5 million in corruptly obtained assets to Peru. The money to be returned is part of a complex of cases linked to Vladimiro Montesinos, Head of Intelligence under former President Alberto Fujimori.
This guidance seeks to capture and explore the innovative approaches that African governments have developed to address the demand and supply sides of corruption more effectively and sustainably. It is designed to help government institutions, in particular national anti-corruption agencies, engage with the private sector more effectively to prevent corruption.
There is fresh hope for the sustainability and governance of Ukraine’s forests, according to participants from Ukraine’s government and civil society in a Basel Institute webinar on 5 April 2023.
Russia’s war is placing unprecedented stress on the forest sector, they agreed. But the creation of the Forests of Ukraine state enterprise, together with Ukraine’s candidate status for EU membership, offers a promising opportunity to address pre-war corruption and governance issues.
This article was published by Gemma Aiolfi and Scarlet Wannenwetsch of the Basel Institute on Governance together with Daniel Malan of Trinity Business School and Klaus Moosmayer of Novartis for California Management Review. The authors argue that businesses seeking to integrate compliance and integrity at the core of their business model would do well to look at the Business 20's recommendations.
The participation of non-state actors – citizens, civil society organisations, the private sector, religious or minority groups, the media – in public policymaking is a core element of democratic governance. Yet in too many countries, mechanisms for participation exist only on paper, not in practice.
Over 60 arbitrators, lawyers, forensics and researchers met at the University of Basel on 5 May 2023 to discuss the legal issues and current risks facing arbitrators in terms of corruption and money laundering.
Phyllis Atkinson has led the training team of our International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) since 2010, having joined ICAR in 2009. The team’s work is essential to ICAR’s mission to support partner countries in developing their capabilities to investigate corruption and recover stolen assets.
The passing of a Whistleblower Protection Act in Bulgaria on 27 January 2023 was a major step forward for the country’s anti-corruption efforts. The law, which will take full effect on 17 December 2023, finally brings Bulgaria into line with the EU’s 2019 Whistleblowing Protection Directive. Now come the bigger steps: implementing it effectively and informing the public of both its provisions and its importance as an anti-corruption tool.
Citizens and business people may invest significant time and money in building informal networks with public officials to overcome public service delivery shortcomings and access business opportunities. Understanding these networks better can strengthen anti-corruption efforts.
This research case study gives a brief overview of our Public Governance team's research in Uganda and Tanzania. Through interviews, the team explored when, how and why informal networks are built and used to access public services or business opportunities corruptly.