Just in case we thought that corruption in New York city was gone, since Mayor Eric Adam’s pay-for-play corruption dismissals earlier this year, there are new allegations against Eric Adams’ previous chief advisor, Ms. Lewis-Martin.

The two approaches regarding corruption are either prevention or enforcement and the hope always is that prevention can slow most people down so that there is less need for enforcement.

Sadly, this topic doesn’t seem to want to die. PoliticoEU noted that even though when the war in Ukraine began and there were very large sanctions against Russian oligarchs, whose money was considered to come from corrupt and sanctions actions, were still being defended by prestigious law firms in the UK.

This article, from The Hill , touches on a issue that in not simply rooted in the US system,  but one addressing an issue of corruption in public service.

Over the past six months, it has felt that corruption in the US has grown incrementally, without any checks on it. It seems to have had tentacles, though most of it has come from the American Executive Branch. 

Sometimes there is some good news, coming from unlikely places. In Albania the Special Structure against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK) has for the past few years, going forward and bringing cases and arresting former and present government officials.

Arms sales are areas of much corruption in the world and it’s good to see that there is cross border cooperation between Bulgaria and Ukraine.

This article is a vivid reminder of why corruption is so difficult to stop, as well as highlighting why whistleblowers are also unsung heroes. In this case The Guardian describes a scheme, that was brought to light in 2010, which took 14 years to bring to trial, and was a kickback scheme from the start, with the UK Ministry of Defense providing cover for its contractor.

Again, the US is back in the news, not for leading on anti-corruption, but for weakening human rights reporting obligations. The Intercept  just reported on changes to reporting by the US Department of State, specifically to the  “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.”

One area that is important for countries which have seaports is how to address and understand corruption as it occurs in these environments.  Consultancy.eu describes an EU project, POSEIDON, which has recently ended, and includes solutions to the serious issues of corruption and organized crime in European port operations in the Netherlands.

Confusion in Sydney – is it corruption?One of the clues regarding corruption is whether or not there is confusion and chaos in government, which usually is a clue to potential corrupt behavior in a government.

The Bangkok Post  addressed an interesting area of corruption in religion. This manifests itself in many different ways. During my time in Afghanistan, the Ministry that was working with Hajj pilgrims was notorious for bribes being paid by pigrims for space at the Hajj pilgrimage.

We were all hoping for a quiet week, but as soon as we turned the corner on Ukraine and its’ corruption agencies, we’re back to corruption issues in Ukraine. We should not forget that war leads to profiteering and corruption, yet we hope and expect more from Ukraine.

Last week we were provided with concerns regarding Portugal’s anti-corruption mechanisms, this week we see Spain in the spotlight.

It’s been two turbulent anti-corruption weeks in Ukraine. The world has been watching with some disbelief as well as hope, as anti-corruption forces took to the streets, in the midst of a horrific war and many news outlets reported on this, including Politico EU .

Over the years Lithuania has quietly and effectively worked on anti-corruption reforms and actions. And finally, as TVP World has reported,  it has taken a leadership role at the OECD, becoming the first country to take up the newly created position of country Chair of the OECD’s Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN).

The progressive publication The American Prospect, highlights the work of lawyers who will not go into the night quietly about corrupt actions in the US.

Another report from the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has been released and this time Portugal is in the hot seat and they will need to do more.

Though it is only six months into the US Trump administration, and US politicians are beginning to think about the future. This is important as messaging around anti-corruption is always important. In the past, simple messages, such as “corruption is bad” did not resonate and now with corruption being front and center, it is important that the politicians in the US define the needed messaging.