Category: Corruption

U.K. at Risk of Joining Global Anti Corruption Partnership ‘List of Shame’

Bribery, Corruption
The Government has been warned it is on the brink of joining three other countries on a “list of shame” for repeatedly failing to meet the requirements set out by a global anti-corruption body co-founded by the UK. The Government was informed it has for the third time in a row fallen short of minimum requirements in its action plan to boost transparency, as set out as a condition of membership by the Open Government Partnership (OPG). In a letter to the Cabinet Office dated August 2, seen by PA news agency, OPG chief executive Sanjay Pradhan said the Government…

Lee Jae-yong: Why South Korea just pardoned the Samsung ‘prince’

Corruption
Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong – convicted of bribery and embezzlement in 2017 – has been granted a special presidential pardon.One of South Korea’s most powerful white collar criminals, Lee was twice imprisoned for bribing a former president. South Korea’s government justified the move, saying the de-facto leader of the country’s biggest company was needed back at the helm to spearhead economic recovery post-pandemic. This marks another swing in a struggle over how the country is run that has raged since mass protests took over Seoul six years ago and ousted a president from office.Lee’s crimes were directly tied up in…

The Nigerian gas deal, the Irish impresario and the £8bn ruling amid claims of bribery

Corruption
It has been described as one of the most extraordinary cases ever to come before the high court, involving an Irish impresario, an alleged $50,000 bribe stuffed into a bag and potentially one of the biggest payouts in legal history. The saga of two Irish businessmen, Michael Quinn and Brendan Cahill, who promised to revolutionise Nigeria’s energy sector, will be at the centre of a high court trial early next year. It is claimed the two men’s hopes of a 20-year project to provide plentiful supplies of electricity for the country were dashed when Nigeria failed to build the required…

Mining firm Glencore pleads guilty to UK bribery charges

Bribery, Corruption
A British subsidiary of the mining firm Glencore has pleaded guilty in a UK court to corruption offences for the second time in the last two months. It was accused of paying millions of dollars in bribes to secure access to crude oil in several African countries. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) found that bribes occurred from 2012 to 2016. It found that bribes of over $28m (£22.8m) were paid via the Swiss-based firm’s employees and agents. The bribery charges stated that the firm’s aim was for officials to “perform their functions improperly, or reward them for so doing, by…

Deutsche Bank investors can sue in U.S. over Epstein and Russian oligarch ties

Corruption, Money Laundering
NEW YORK (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Monday said shareholders can sue Deutsche Bank AG for allegedly hiding shortfalls in its internal controls while doing business with risky, ultra-rich clients like the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Russian oligarchs. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said shareholders may try to prove in their proposed class action that the German bank was aware its know-your-customer and anti-money laundering controls were ineffective, and that its share price fell as the truth became known. In a 30-page decision, Rakoff said the complaint described specific processes that Deutsche Bank knowingly undermined through an…

Justice Department Secures Forfeiture of Property Purchased with $3.5 Million in Alleged Corruption Proceeds Linked to Ex-President of The Gambia

Corruption, DoJ, Prosecutions
The Department of Justice, pursuant to a court-ordered default judgment and final order of forfeiture entered on May 24, has secured the forfeiture of a Potomac, Maryland, property acquired with approximately $3.5 million in alleged corruption proceeds by the former President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia, through a trust set up by his wife, Zineb Jammeh. The judgment is the result of a civil forfeiture complaint filed by the United States in July 2020 seeking the forfeiture of the Maryland property. As alleged in the complaint, Yahya Jammeh corruptly obtained millions of dollars through the misappropriation of stolen public funds…

EU Considers Blacklisting UAE After ‘Dubai Uncovered’ Leaks

Corruption, Sanctions
Following revelations of how criminals, sanctioned Russian oligarchs, and corrupt officials are big property investors in Dubai, European Parliament members have suggested that the United Arab Emirates should be blacklisted in the same manner as North Korea, Burkina Faso and Iran. Last week, OCCRP and investigative journalists from 20 other outlets uncovered how Russian politicians, sanctioned oligarchs, and criminals have poured their ill-gotten gains into luxury properties in Dubai. The ‘Dubai Uncovered’ investigation, based on a 2020 leak by the Center For Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) into the emirate’s housing market, has drawn calls from EU politicians for tougher anti-money…

Britain Must Do More to Tackle Corruption in Politics and Finance, Lawmaker Says

Corruption, Regulation
Britain has lost its moral compass and must act to tackle “dirty money” and protect the integrity of its democracy, a senior opposition lawmaker said in a report published on Monday by King’s College London. Margaret Hodge, a Labour lawmaker for 28 years and former head of parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, said a culture of deregulation and light-touch enforcement had allowed financial malpractice to flourish and this was seeping in to politics. “Unacceptable behaviour is in danger of becoming commonplace,” Hodge, who chairs a cross-party parliamentary group on anticorruption and responsible tax, said in the report for the Policy Institute.…

Navalny’s Foundation Lists Putin’s 6,000 Bribe Takers and Warmongers

Bribery, Corruption
In another act of defiance against the Kremlin, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) published Tuesday a list of over 6,000 bribe takers and warmongers who it says enabled Russian President Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Founded by Russian activist Alexei Navalny, FBK is a non-profit organization that investigates acts of corruption by high-ranking Russian government officials. Leonid Volkov, FBK’s Chief of Staff, posted on Twitter that the publication unmasks “The ones who started the war. Those who helped Putin usurp power. Those who financed the war. The ones who stole,” and “those who repressed the dissenters” against the Kremlin. Over…

Sanctioned Russian Oligarchs Linked to £800m Worth of U.K. Property

Bribery, Corruption
A dozen sanctioned Russians are linked to an estimated £800m worth of property in the UK, analysis by the BBC reveals. Multi-million pound country manors in the south of England and luxury flats in London’s most expensive areas are among the homes which have been snapped up by figures linked to Vladimir Putin. Some of the individuals deny ownership of the mansions, which may mean they are beyond the reach of the sanctions. To get to the bottom of who owns what, we carried out a detailed trawl of leaked offshore documents, the Land Registry and court papers – as…

How Procurement at Coca-Cola Enterprises Unearthed a £1.5m Bribery Scam

Bribery, Corruption, Prosecutions
An investigation initiated by the procurement team at Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) led to the discovery of a nine-year contracts-for-bribes scam. Noel Corry – who was on £62,500 in his role as electrical and automation manager at CCE – took bribes of £1.5m in exchange for confidential information to help favoured bidders win contracts, Southwark Crown Court was told. Corry has pleaded guilty to five counts of corruption and was due to be sentenced yesterday (13 April). He ensured large volumes of work at CCE went to Boulting Group Limited (now known as WABGS), Tritec Systems Limited, and Electron Systems…

Ex-Goldman Banker Convicted of Bribery, Money Laundering Conspiracy Charges in 1MDB Case

Bribery, Corruption, Prosecutions
NEW YORK, April 8(Reuters) – Former Goldman Sachs (GS.N) banker Roger Ng was convicted by a U.S. jury on Friday of corruption charges related to his role in helping loot hundreds of millions of dollars from Malaysia’s 1MDB development fund. The charges stemmed from one of the biggest financial scandals in history. Prosecutors charged Ng, Goldman’s former top investment banker for Malaysia, for conspiring to violate an anti-corruption law and launder money. They said he helped his former boss Tim Leissner embezzle money from the fund, launder the proceeds and bribe officials to win business for Goldman. Ng, 49, had…

Jordanian Businessman, the King’s Uncle, Sentenced for Corruption

Corruption, Prosecutions
A Jordanian businessman related to the royal family was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 years of hard labor and fined 191 million Jordanian dinars (US$269 million) for corruption and abuse of office, the country’s Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission said in a statement. The charges against Walid Al-Kurdi, married to Jordan’s King Abdullah II’s aunt Princess Basma Bint Talal, relate to his work as head of the state-owned mining company Jordan Phosphate Mines (JPMC). As its former CEO and chairman for six years, Al-Kurdi abused his position and engaged in corruption in relation to six investment contracts in the Shidiya mine…

Money Laundered Millions Seized in Jersey to be Sent to Kenya

Corruption, Money Laundering
Millions of pounds that was seized in Jersey from money laundering is being returned to Kenya in a world first. The £3million was confiscated in 2016 following the conviction of Jersey-registered company Windward Trading Ltd. for money laundering offences. The money originated in Kenya, and was being fed through the Jersey company. Despite the 2016 conviction of the company, two individuals from Kenya linked to the company are still awaiting trial. Now, Jersey has agreed to send the money back after Her Majesty’s Attorney General for Jersey signed an Asset Recovery Agreement (ARA) with the Kenyan government. The money will…

Kazakh Ex-Dictator Used U.K. Company to Protect Empire

Corruption
Kazakhstan’s former dictator used the UK to help safeguard a multibillion-dollar business empire built during his three-decade rule, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Telegraph can reveal. Foundations controlled by Nursultan Nazarbayev, a notorious autocrat who was in office until 2019, controlled $7.8bn in assets via Jusan Technologies. One of the company’s subsidiaries, a Kazakh bank, received a multi-billion dollar state bailout and went on to hand a dividend to its parent. It is registered in the UK, where it has just one employee. Documents from October 2021 showed Jusan Technologies at the centre of a sprawling corporate operation…

DOJ Promises Robust Anti-Bribery Enforcement Despite Dip in Cases

Bribery, Corruption
A senior Justice Department official cautions against reading too much into a decline in the number of corporate Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases A senior DOJ official said the department has a robust pipeline of cases and he would expect some significant resolutions in the next year. The U.S. Justice Department’s enforcement of a key antibribery law appeared to ebb last year, with prosecutors levying fines against only three companies for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. However, a senior Justice Department official is seeking to dispel the notion that prosecutors have taken their foot off the pedal. “I…

Will 2022 be a Year of Action on Illicit Finance?

Bribery, Corruption, Fraud, Money Laundering
The US Strategy on Countering Corruption promises a step change in its response to illicit finance. Can the UK government step up too? There was a time in the not so distant past when the UK was genuinely a leader in the global response to illicit finance. Yes, the country has been a magnet for dirty money and its beneficiaries for decades as a result of policy decisions (for example, investor visas) and neglect (such as underinvestment in the policing response, the national Financial Intelligence Unit and suspicious activity reporting system). But awareness of the challenges posed by illicit finance…

How the Kazakh Elite Put its Wealth Into U.K. Property

Corruption, Money Laundering, Unexplained Wealth Orders
Ministers face claims they have allowed the ruling elite of Kazakhstan to secretly invest vast chunks of the country’s wealth in the London property market after failing to introduce promised new transparency laws. Former prime minister David Cameron pledged at an anti-corruption summit in London in 2016 that the UK would end the secret offshore ownership of property. More than five years later, a proposed register of foreign owners of UK property has still not been introduced. The uprisings in Kazakhstan last week reflected widespread anger at former president Nursultan Nazarbayev’s three decades of rule and the vast fortunes amassed…

The $30m Embezzlement Scandal Behind Ukraine’s Winter Olympics Hopes

Corruption
Plans to build a new ski resort in Ukraine’s protected Carpathian Mountains lead back to an alleged corruption scheme tied to oligarch Serhiy Lovochkin. Key Findings Between 2012 and 2014, the head of a newly created state agency, Vladyslav Kaskiv, allegedly worked with accomplices to steal $30 million from the Ukrainian state and embezzled it through a network of offshore companies Part of the money was used to buy land in the Carpathian mountains, where Kaskiv knew the government planned to build a winter sports venue. The company that owned the land was secretly controlled by powerful Ukrainian politicians Serhiy…

State of Corruption in South Africa

Corruption
How deep corruption stretches into the South African government was revealed last week, after South Africa’s Judicial Commission dropped the first of its three-part report into state capture in the African nation. Deep is the answer. “Approximately 1,438 persons and entities were implicated by evidence led before the Commission,” read the nearly 900 page report produced by the commission that was set up almost four years ago to examine the extent of corruption within the South African State. One of the focal points it assessed were the connections between former South African President Jacob Zuma and the powerful Gupta Family,…

As U.S. Sanctions Loomed, a Tycoon Mopped Up Zimbabwe’s Scarce Dollars

Corruption, Sanctions
As Zimbabweans faced the economic consequences of a crashing currency, well-connected businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei skirted the rules to convert government-backed securities into scarce U.S. dollars —which he used to acquire shares in a lucrative platinum mine. Key Findings Even after Zimbabwe cut off its citizens from accessing U.S. dollars in mid-2019, the central bank governor allowed Tagwirei’s company to cash out large portions of a treasury bill he held before it matured, and unlawfully convert them into tens of millions of U.S. dollars. Documents indicate Tagwirei’s staff repeatedly used treasury bills as a source of U.S. dollars — which were…

The U.S. Releases its First-Ever Strategy on Countering Corruption

Corruption, Regulation
Corruption is a cancer within the body of societies—a disease that eats at public trust and the ability of governments to deliver for their citizens. The deleterious effects of corruption impact nearly all aspects of society. It exacerbates social, political, and economic inequality and polarisation; impedes the ability of states to respond to public health crises or to deliver quality education; degrades the business environment and economic opportunity; drives conflict; and undermines faith in government. Those that abuse positions of power for private gain steal not just material wealth, but human dignity and welfare. Recognising corruption’s ability to corrode democracy,…

Cryptocurrency – Cardiff Terrorist Khuram Iqbal Jailed Over Trading

Corruption, Regulation
A convicted terrorist has been jailed for 16 months over his cryptocurrency trading on the dark web. Khuram Iqbal, 29, from Cardiff, was originally jailed in 2014 for three years and three months for disseminating terrorist publications and possessing terrorist information. He was released on licence in May 2015 but recalled to jail in 2016. Iqbal breached a 10-year notification order by failing to tell police about two cryptocurrency accounts. He pleaded guilty to four breaches between July 2019 and August this year and appeared at the Old Bailey to be sentenced by Mr Justice Sweeney. The defendant had originally…

U.S. Designates Serbian, Salvadoran Gangs with Political Ties

Bribery, Corruption, Sanctions
The U.S. authorities announced Wednesday they have targeted 16 individuals and 24 entities suspected of corruption and serious human rights abuses. The ruling freezes U.S. property and money connected to those people and entities. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took the actions “pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act,” according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s statement. “All property and interests in property of the persons above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to…

Trail of Venezuela’s Stolen Billions Leads to Carribbean Luxury Properties

Bribery, Corruption, Money Laundering
Key Findings A Venezuelan under investigation for laundering stolen oil money acquired a lucrative stake in a luxury hotel in Colombia through a company registered in Luxembourg. He and another woman under investigation, the girlfriend of former Venezuelan energy official Javier Alvarado Ochoa, sat on the board of directors of the company that owns the hotel. Three senior executives at an energy consultancy that received a $23 million contract from Venezuelan state power company Corpolec, which was led by Alvarado, also had stakes in the hotel. A Venezuelan expert in anti-money laundering said the setup was “unusual” and should be…

Pandora Papers Unveil Ex-Putin Aide, Indian Businessmen Behind Maldives Island Scandal Deals

Bribery, Corruption
A former deputy chief of staff for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, as well as a wealthy Russian businessman with reputed organized crime ties, were secretly involved in the illegal leasing of a lagoon for tourist developments in the Maldives, newly leaked documents show. The documents reveal that a venture fund found to have been financed by Evgeny Novitsky — reputed to be a member or associate of Russia’s Solntsevo crime group — and run by former Putin aide Kirill Androsov was behind a 2015 deal to obtain the rights to develop a resort in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation. Novitsky…

Money Laundering Probe Heartens Anti-Corruption Activists But Fails to Lift Pandora Papers’ Pall Over Seychelles

Bribery, Corruption
In handcuffs and a striped shirt, one of the Seychelles’ wealthiest and most powerful men shuffled toward prison after an unprecedented hearing last month. Mukesh Valabhji faces years behind bars for allegedly laundering $50 million and is among the first high-profile figures from the East African island nation’s efforts to cast off its reputation as a financial crime hotspot. Police arrested Valabhij last month when he alighted from his helicopter, on his return from a hotel he owns on the private island of Felicite, and later seized weapons at his home, according to local news reports. He was taken into…

Three Swiss Subsidiaries of the Oil-Related Group SBM Offshore Convicted of Corruption Offences

Bribery, Corruption
Bern, 23.11.2021 – The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has sentenced three Swiss subsidiaries of the multinational group SBM Offshore and ordered them to pay an amount of over CHF 7 million, including a fine of CHF 4.2 million. These three companies failed to take all the reasonable organisational measures required to prevent the bribery, of foreign public officials in Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria In a summary penalty order dated 18.11.2021, the OAG sentenced the Swiss companies SBM Holding Inc. SA, Single Buoy Moorings Inc. and SBM Production Contractors Inc. SA and ordered them to pay…

Head of Mexico’s FIU forced to resign after $35,000 cash is found on private jet carrying guests to his wedding

Bribery, Corruption
The head of Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) has been forced to resign following a scandal related to his wedding in Guatemala. Santiago Nieto, long seen as a trusted ally of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in his campaign to root out corruption, stepped down from the position on Monday. It came after Guatemalan authorities seized $35,000 in cash from a private jet carrying influential guests to Nieto’s wedding to Carla Humphrey, a counsellor with Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE), in the city of Antigua. Wedding guest Juan Francisco Ealy Ortiz, the president of the prominent Mexican newspaper El Universal,…

Tory Donor Mohamed Amersi Involved in Telecoms Corruption Scandal

Bribery, Corruption
A prominent Tory donor who contributed to Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign was involved in one of Europe’s biggest corruption scandals, a BBC investigation has discovered. Mohamed Amersi has given nearly £525,000 to the party since 2018. Leaked documents reveal how he worked on a series of controversial deals for a Swedish telecoms company that was later fined $965m (£700m) in a US prosecution. Mr Amersi denies any wrongdoing. The 61-year-old is a corporate lawyer who worked as a consultant for Telia between 2007 and 2013. Working with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the Guardian, BBC Panorama has obtained…

Chinese Tech Giant Huawei had Secret Offshore Contracts With Men Linked to Serbian State Telecom Company

Bribery, Corruption
Amid a Chinese push to gain influence in Serbia, Huawei appears to have paid large sums to a former Serbian state telecom executive through an offshore shell company. Key Findings A former executive at state telecom company Telekom Srbija likely received over $1 million through an offshore firm in the British Virgin Islands that had contracts with Chinese technology giant Huawei. The payments were linked to contracts with Huawei, some for consulting services that included introducing Huawei to government officials and arranging meetings for the Chinese company. In 2016, Huawei inked a major agreement with Telekom Srbija to overhaul Serbia’s…

US Returns to Equatorial Guinea Millions Seized from its Corrupt VP

Corruption
The U.S. will return US$25.6 million in assets purchased with the proceeds of corruption and seized from the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea to the African nation in form of COVID-19 vaccines and other medical equipment, the U.S. Department of Justice announced in a statement Monday. Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, who is also the son of the African nation’s president Teodoro Obiang, has been tried in several countries for corruption and money laundering. He has made headlines for his lavish lifestyle that includes the purchase of several yachts worth more than $100,000,000 a $1.3 million car, and a $677,000 weekend…

U.K. Fraud Watchdog Digs into Alleged Mine Bribes in D.R. Congo

Bribery, Corruption
The U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is investigating alleged corruption in mining deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where foreign companies purportedly bribed officials up to US$360 million between 2006 and 2011. U.K. investigators first referred the case to Swiss authorities in 2014, and again in 2019 on the back of related claims of money laundering. The March 30 Swiss Federal Criminal Court decision dismissing the appeal made by one of the companies in question, which reveals details about the case for the first time, was only recently made public. The judgment identifies an anonymous individual “C” as…

Africa Must Build Robust Financial Compliance Systems Against Financial Crime – President Akufo-Addo

Corruption, Money Laundering, Tax Evasion
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that for Africa to be able to transform herself, and become the epitome of economic empowerment and self-reliance, she needs to have the wherewithal to be able to protect and optimise the resources at her disposal. To this end, President Akufo-Addo, speaking at the EBII Africa Investments Risk and Compliance (IRC) Summit, on Friday, 30th July 2021, at the University of Oxford, has admonished African governments to build robust financial compliance systems, and ensure strict enforcement of these systems. Speaking on the theme “Financial Crime Compliance and ESG –…

New U.K. Sanctions Against Individuals Involved in Corruption Around the World

Corruption, Sanctions
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has announced further sanctions on individuals under the UK’s Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab today announces new UK sanctions against 5 individuals involved in serious corruption in Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Iraq sanctions target cases of serious corruption which have deprived developing countries of vital resources one of those designated spent millions of misappropriated funds on mansions, private jets and a $275,000 glove that Michael Jackson wore on his ‘Bad’ tour, another ruthlessly exploited public food programmes in Venezuela. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has today announced further sanctions on individuals under the…

Vatican Puts Cardinal in Financial Crime Trial

Corruption, Prosecutions
The Vatican City has taken an unprecedented step to bring a sitting Cardinal to trial to face the charges of financial corruption associated with investing in London’s luxury real estate using Catholic charity. The indictment of Giovanni Angelo Bechiu, who oversaw the agency responsible for the selection of Catholic saints until last year, shows a dramatic acceleration of Pope Francis. Willingness to reform the finances of the Holy Throne after decades of controversy. The Vatican City said a trial would begin this month to mark the Cardinal’s face with financial crime charges for the first time in modern Catholic history.…

Myanmar’s jade fuels the military

Corruption
Corruption in Myanmar’s jade industry extends all the way to the top of the country’s military, including the family of the country’s Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, UK-based NGO Global Witness claimed in its latest report on Tuesday. In the years preceding the February 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military tightened its grip on the lucrative jade trade, even as the new civilian-led National League for Democracy (NLD) administration attempted to reform it. “The military coup has triggered a new wave of violence in the conflict-ridden sector, demonstrating the danger of armed actors controlling the multibillion-dollar mining industry,” according to Global Witness. It…

New Magnitsky style sanctions regime will strengthen Britain’s toolkit for tacking global corruption and dirty money

Corruption, Sanctions
Transparency International UK welcomes the announcement of a new corruption sanctions regime by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. The new regime gives Britain the power to designate individuals and companies involved in serious corruption around the world, adding another option to the UK’s growing array of sanctions for corruption offences. The UK Government has published an initial list of 22 designated persons who are the first targets of the regime. Those that are designated will have their British assets frozen and be banned from travelling to the UK. The regime is international in scope, enabling the UK to align itself with…

Concern over corruption red flags in 20% of U.K.’s PPE procurement

Corruption
Full transparency over ‘vip’ lane and scrutiny of high-risk contracts essential to restore public trust April 22, 2021 – The way the UK Government handled bids for supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19 response contracts appears partisan and systemically biased in favour of those with political access, new research from Transparency International UK finds. Read the report. Launched today, Track and Trace is the most comprehensive study to date of public procurement during the pandemic and involved a painstaking review of nearly 1,000 contracts worth a total of £18 billion. The report details how critical safeguards designed to…

2020 Corruption Perceptions Index Reveals Widespread Corruption is Weakening Covid-19 Response, Threatening Global Recovery

Corruption
Corruption and COVID-19 worsening democratic backsliding The 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released today by Transparency International reveals that persistent corruption is undermining health care systems and contributing to democratic backsliding amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries that perform well on the index invest more in health care, are better able to provide universal health coverage and are less likely to violate democratic norms and institutions or the rule of law. Read the report “COVID-19 is not just a health and economic crisis. It is a corruption crisis. And one that we are currently failing to manage,” Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chair of Transparency…