Bucharest mayor taken into custody in corruption probe The mayor of Romania’s capital Bucharest was taken into custody on Saturday night on suspicion of taking kickbacks on municipal tenders, anti-corruption officials said. Mayor Sorin Oprescu is accused of being among a group of officials that demanded a share in the profits made by companies that Read more >
CORRUPTION NEWS
Anyone wishing to do business with government in future will have to register on the newly-launched central supplier database (CSD) and read up on requirements of tenders for which they wish to compete. In Corruption Watch’s experience, some small businesses will get their fingers burned before the database is a well-oiled machine, but Finance Minister Read more >
CORRUPTION NEWS
The 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) drew to a close last week. Delegates from dozens of countries adopted the Putrajaya Declaration, which includes eight recommendations for action against the rapid spread of corruption. The declaration calls for grand corruption to be made an international crime, and also insists on full independence and autonomy for all Read more >
NEWS
A screengrab from the “Make the Politicians Work” video on Youtube TI head: freedom of speech, press ‘essential’ to fighting corruption Putrajaya: Press freedom and freedom of expression are important elements in the fight against corruption, said Transparency International president Jose Ugaz.”Press freedom and freedom of expression are the pillars of democratic societies and journalists Read more >
CORRUPTION NEWS
The 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) is under way in Putrajaya, Malaysia – the conference runs from 2 – 4 September 2015 under the theme Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action. This year’s IACC brings together 1 000 anti-corruption fighters – Corruption Watch among them – from more than 130 countries to forge solutions to the Read more >
CORRUPTION NEWS
Two of the North West province’s most troubled municipalities played host to Parliament in August, when the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP) select committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs descended on Ventersdorp and Tswaing municipalities for oversight visits. The municipalities were among those placed under provincial administration in May following cases of serious maladministration Read more >
CORRUPTION NEWS
Source: University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg (UJ) hosted the ninth Annual Helen Joseph Memorial Lecture on Thursday, 27 August 2015. This year’s speaker, Advocate Vusi Pikoli, tackled the question: Is an independent judiciary a threat to democracy? Pikoli is currently the Western Cape police ombudsman, and was the national director of public prosecutions Read more >
HEROES & ZEROES
The reshuffling of staff in any organisation is usually not a big deal if the purpose is to enhance performance and productivity and ultimately meet goals. It becomes a big deal, however, when it is done for political reasons and in the interests of a powerful few. Such was the case in the ANC legislature Read more >
CORRUPTION NEWS
By Kate O’Regan Justice of the Constitutional Court (1994 – 2009) Introduction The Constitution of the United States of America is 7 000 words long. Nowhere does it mention political parties. And that was not because the question did not arise. James Madison, in The Federalist No 10, characterised “factions”, his reference to political parties, Read more >