Last week, The Hill  and other media outlets, provided more information regarding the resignations of three US Department of Justice attorneys based upon unethical pressure and their work at the DOJ.

Usually we see articles about corruption, referencing corrupt actions, without many results, except for hopeful future action.

As an American citizen and an anti-corruption practitioner, I have been very disappointed in the Trump administration’s first 100 days.

This article, by Follow the Money (FTM), that political finance corruption is still very much and important issue yet there are more solutions now than there were before, as AI and other digital solutions can provide support to governmental authorities which may not have enough resources.

This article by the National Defense Magazine brought a smile to my face and should do the same for you. One of the unintended consequences of the US Department of Justice’s limitation regarding bringing new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases is that we need to remind one another is that illegality is still illegal.

There is always a question of whether all the focus on the various anti-corruption agencies in Ukraine would be less if there were fewer state agencies. Unfortunately, this question is hypothetical, as Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) is in the news, the Ukrainian National News article reminds us of the continuing concerns at ARMA.

The Bangkok Post  addresses an area that is one of the more difficult areas to police easily, being infrastructure projects.

This article, by the Nordic Monitor , highlights very clearly the impact of corruption in Turkey. As I noted  previously, President Erdogan has come after his opponents, using corrupt levers, to eliminate political rivals, but that is just a tip of the iceberg.

This very short article by the Revolving Door Project , which uses very strong language regarding their perspective on the Trump administration, does provide a broad cross-section of polling information in the United States, providing insights into the concerns of the citizens regarding corruption and other topics.

As we have seen since Mr. Trump has become the US president, his administration has weakened anti-corruption regulations and has been clear that they will not be prosecuting crimes which come from corruption.

This article, from the Nigeria Communications Week, reminds us that we can cost out corruption, and use this information to make positive needed changes. This week the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) shared that “Africa’s staggering loss of $88.6 billion each year due to corruption and illicit financial flows (IFFs),” is one of the most pressing threats to the continent’s development.

Chaos and confusion are part of the corruption toolkit and over the weekend we were reminded again that the US tariff mess can give corrupt actors the opportunity to mask corrupt behavior.

It’s always good to have articles which highlight the better elements of anti-corruption programs such as supporting anti-corruption efforts for youth. Just recently, as was reported on by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission,  they highlighted the “pivotal role of Nigerian youths in the ongoing fight against corruption, describing them as high-value assets in the national anti-corruption movement.”

This past week Ekathimerini.com reminded us that border crossings are still the favorite area of corrupt officials as “38 officers were arrested in a probe by the Edirne Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into graft at the Kapikule border gate on the Turkey-Bulgaria frontier.” 

On April 8 I noted that there had been suggestions made that the Trump White House was creating an environment where personal enrichment can occur based upon the most recent tariff war. And two days later, the tariffs were paused and the NY Times posited that the Trump’s White House signaled to their cronies that they should buy.

In this article we again find ourselves going down the rabbit hole of potential corruption at the heart of the US government. “The Justice Department plans to dismantle a unit dedicated to enforcing cryptocurrency regulations just as President Donald Trump’s crypto venture raises hundreds of millions after stablecoin launch, according to a memo.”

The New York Times reported  that on April 7 Elizabeth G. Oyer, a dismissed US Department of Justice attorney, testified in a hearing in front of Democratic senators and representatives described her firing in the context of corruption. At that hearing there were other attorneys, who also testified to their concerns. Many people can and will say that these comments were made by disgruntled ex- employees.

A recent HuffPost post noted that the United States, specifically the Trump White House, is moving towards more corrupt behaviors based upon the imposition of the new worldwide tariffs. This is not a fanciful conspiracy theory. It is a concern, unfortunately, based upon previous behaviors during the first Trump administration and looks like it will be happening again if the American public is not vigilant.

The Guardian published an article which was quite eye-opening regarding fines against businesses which have not provided correct or complete information to the Company House, a UK agency impowered to crack down on corruption.  

This article has been a good reminder that parliamentarians should focus on being representatives of the those who elected them, not representing their own personal financial interests.