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.

The World Bank, in its blog, touched on a very positive topic, technology and anti-corruption. The importance and breadth of technology cannot be overstated. In the blog, World Bank points out the use of their program, GovTech, but the reality is most countries have the internal capacity to create technological solutions themselves.

Last week Transparency International (TI) put out its new opacity in real estate ownership index. And, yet it doesn’t seem to be something that is either news or important.

Last week Austria had a good news/bad news week on corruption. There were two articles that provided some insights. On the good news side the former Finance Minister, Karl-Heinz Grasser, was sentenced to four years in prison for corruption crimes.

This article describes, and visually shows, the present ongoing protests throughout Europe against Putin allies. In Slovakia, Georgia, Serbia, and Turkey the protests are tied to corruption as well as general dissatisfaction with governments.

Last week the UK, France and Switzerland announced   that they would work together, using their “wide-reaching anti-bribery legislation with jurisdiction to prosecute criminal conduct that occurs overseas, if there is a link to the prosecuting country.”   

On 14-15 April 2025 UNODC will be hosting and leading expert meetings on beneficial ownership issues in Vienna. As the UN noted, “Transparency of beneficial ownership information is a critical policy tool in combating corruption and illicit financial flows. Individuals and entities often employ schemes that obscure beneficial ownership to conceal the proceeds of corruption, frequently spanning multiple jurisdictions.” 

Last week Turkey erupted in a way that was surprising. To start with, Turkey’s President Erdogan had Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, his strongest presidential opponent to date disqualified.  Mr. Imamoglu’s was stripped of his university degree, implying corruption in his education and then he was arrested for corruption.

On Saturday, 15 March, a horrific fire occurred in a North Macedonian night club, which has been documented in the international press, that lead to 59 dying and over 200 injured, some being sent abroad for treatment. Having spent nine months in Skopje working on a USAID anti-corruption program, I felt significant sadness when I read that corruption was considered to play a part in this tragedy.

On Thursday, 13 March, the Belgian authorities sealed two offices in the EU Parliament as part of a broader bribery probe into Chinese technology giant Huawei’s lobbying activities in Europe. Politico EU reminded us that the EU Parliament had promised to do better after the Parliament was embroiled in a corruption scandal, in 2022.

On March 4, I wrote  about the Serbian students’ protests and how this is inspirational during these turbulent times.  At that time, it was inspirational but over the weekend, on Saturday, March 15, the protests took on an even greater urgency. Over 100,000, possibly up to 300,000, Serbians took to the street, and this included students, veterans and farmers on March 15.