- It was later confirmed by the Pentagon, which explained that US officials had evaluated Ukraine-bound equipment based on how much it would cost to replace the items completely, rather than on their current value.
- While US officials insist that aid is being properly monitored, numerous Republicans have called for an audit. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the main proponents of a review, argued that American citizens “have no idea where all this money is going.”
CPI 2022: TROUBLE AT THE TOP
Advanced economies are still not pulling their weight in the fight against cross-border corruption
Illustration: Amy Chiniara © Transparency International | Source images: Shutterstock
Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) paints a bleak picture of stalled anti-corruption efforts worldwide. It also serves as an annual reminder that abuse of power comes in many shapes and forms. The events of 2022 once again showed that countries perceived as having low levels of public sector corruption are very vulnerable to undue influence by private interests – both domestic and foreign.
According to the 2022 CPI, the fight against public sector corruption has stagnated in the majority of countries earning top scores – including advanced economies such as Germany (CPI score: 79), France (72) and Switzerland (82). Meanwhile, five traditionally top-scoring countries have seen their assessments decline significantly: Australia (75), Austria (71), Canada (74), Luxembourg (77) and the United Kingdom (73).
Why we need to know who owns EU companies | Transparency International
"There is now a global consensus that criminals and the corrupt should not be allowed to abuse corporate secrecy to mask their ownership of ill-gotten wealth.
However, the corporate transparency agenda suffered a serious blow on 22 November 2022, when the EU’s highest court invalidated the anti-money laundering provision guaranteeing public access to information on companies' real – or 'beneficial' – owners. Prior to the ruling, 22 out of 27 EU countries had opened up their company beneficial ownership registers, enabling investigations into suspicious assets worldwide. By the end of November, eight countries had suspended public access to their registers.
Maíra Martini (Transparency International), Paul Radu (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and Andres Knobel (Tax Justice Network) explain why public access to this data so critical, and what needs to happen next.
More on this issue: http://anticorru.pt/2Lh
Produced by Oblique Collective for Anti-Corruption Data Collective and Transparency International
#transparencyinternational #beneficialownership #dirtymoney
Prior to the ruling, 22 out of 27 EU countries had opened up their company beneficial ownership registers, enabling investigations into suspicious assets worldwide. By the end of November, eight countries had suspended public access to their registers.
Conflict, security and trouble at the top Global peace has been deteriorating for 15 years. Corruption has been both a key cause and result of this.
Even countries with high CPI scores play a role in the threats that corruption poses to global security. For decades, they have welcomed dirty money from abroad, allowing kleptocrats to increase their wealth, power and destructive geopolitical ambitions.
What’s happening around the world?
- Countries in the top-scoring region, Western Europe and the European Union, have been at a standstill for over a decade or have declined over the past five years. Undue influence over decision-making, poor enforcement of integrity safeguards and threats to the rule of law continue to undermine governments’ effectiveness.
- On the other end of the index, countries with low scores are also unable to make significant progress.
- In many parts of the Americas, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, restrictions and attacks on civic space and basic freedoms continue as multiple crises threaten security and stability, democracy and human rights.
- Similarly, in various Asia Pacific countries, rising authoritarianism dilutes civil society’s function as a watchdog, while many leaders are prioritising economic recovery over anti-corruption efforts.
- In the Middle East and North Africa, where unequal political and economic power is deeply intertwined with conflict, corruption is undermining democratic processes, causing pervasive civil unrest and fueling violence.
US senator calls for probe into Ukraine aid
The Pentagon has claimed it significantly overestimated the value of weapons sent to Kiev
In a letter released on Monday, Rubio chided the administration of US President Joe Biden for a recent $3 billion accounting “error” in the Pentagon which meant the value of equipment sent to Ukraine was supposedly overestimated.
However, according to the Florida senator, the opposite may actually be true as the Pentagon “appears now to be using the depreciated value of the equipment.”
To rectify the issue, Rubio has requested that the Government Accountability Office conduct a full review of all equipment provided to Ukraine since the start of the conflict with Russia more than one year ago.
“This will ensure US taxpayers are not footing an even larger bill to replace the equipment needed to defend the US and its interests,” the senator stated.
The $3 billion accounting error was first reported by Reuters last month. It was later confirmed by the Pentagon, which explained that US officials had evaluated Ukraine-bound equipment based on how much it would cost to replace the items completely, rather than on their current value.
The revelations triggered harsh criticism from Republican lawmakers, with Representatives Michael McCaul and Mike Rogers stating that the funds “could have been used for extra supplies and weapons for the upcoming [Ukrainian] counteroffensive,” instead of being spread over the remainder of the year.
The White House has attempted to control the damage, with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan insisting that it was “not a waste of that $3 billion,” but rather a tally of how much military equipment the US had provided to Ukraine.
“Once you make that adjustment [from replacement to actual costs], it turns out we have an additional $3 billion that we can spend to provide even more weapons to Ukraine,” Sullivan claimed. . ."
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