The more cynical of us look at these programs and assume government is trying to change our perspective, while allowing for so much corruption in other areas.

As a first in the world, Mexico has decided to have all judges elected by popular vote. The article by The Guardian lays out the issues, and as the judiciary in any country is the final enforcement mechanism in corruption cases,  this process was quite significant.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration continues to move against the US legacy of being a world-wide leader in the fight against corruption.

Though most of us won’t be paying attention, this is one more positive example of how public frustration can lead to positive regime change, without violence through public protest.

It’s always good to see anti-corruption working in Ukraine. This article, by Ukrinform, shows that it can reach beyond the capital.

Sometimes you don’t need to have a country provide you with an example of anti-corruption legislation. Ohio, a state in the United States, was highlighted in The Center Square for its’ work on closing corruption gaps.

Corruption has many, many aspects, some more known and some more creative. Throughout my career I have encountered many creative ways of getting around digital programs, as well as other government processes, made to simplify government actions and support citizen access. Corrupt actors will take advantage of these systems and recently the employees of the Ghana Embassy in the United States joined the group of creative corrupt individuals.

For the past two weeks there have been many articles regarding Trump administration corruption, focusing mainly on Mr. Trump and his family’s actions. At the same time we are beginning to hear from Trump advocates, as well as some Republican political representatives, expressing concerns.

Every time I see an article like this, I know that there are people out there working for their communities, risking arrest and worse, to highlight corruption in their governments. They are making impacts as they risk all for their principles.

This article, by the Daily News Hungary, raises questions that aren’t addressed in the information presented. This comes at the same time as Hungary continues fighting against transparency, by bringing forward a law that attacks the CSOS which have and should keep the Hungarian government accountable.

This article by DW, highlights the corruption concerns in NATO procurements. Corruption in military procurements are particularly challenging as such procurements as less transparent due to the military secrecy needed when making purchases.

This article, from D+C,  a German web based publication,  reminds us of the continuing need to work with youth, as they are the present and  future leaders in anti-corruption work. 

Looks like it’s one more step to allow corruption to go unchecked in the United States. In the Washington, DC FBI field office, they are disbanding the squad which investigates allegations of fraud and public corruption against members of Congress and other federal officials.

This week’s article from The Hill encapsulates the shock  of the brazen corruption by the Trump administration. This is tied to the gift of the new Air Force One plane from Qatar to President Trump, which will be taken by him after he leaves office, and it will be then a gift to his presidential library.

This seems to be the way corruption is in Ukraine, which was reported by the Kyiv Independent Kyiv Independent . This time it was “[t]he director and deputy director of the logistics department of the National Guard are also suspected of embezzlement and money laundering, ZN.UA reported.”

On May 8 the interagency working group on EU accession approved the draft roadmap, including the section of rule of law. The areas tied to anti-corruption reform were developed by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) and the approval allows Ukraine to move one step closer to accession.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, a strong election commission in a country can not only stop corrupt behaviors but can help with enforcement of actionable lawsuits based upon election and electoral improprieties.

One piece of good news last week was the ruling regarding Malta’s golden passport program. Malta had been providing passports based largely on real estate investments, arguing that EU citizenship recipients must show a "genuine link" with the country granting the passport, not just a financial commitment.

On 24 April a judgment was made by the European Court of Human Rights the case of Sytnyk v. Artem,  a case which had been brought against Mr. Artem Sytnyk, regarding improper gifts. What is significant is how this highlights how corruption also works in attempting to destroy the reputations of non-corrupt officials.