Transparency International

Transparency International is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Berlin, Germany, founded in 1993. Its purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil societal anti-corruption measures and to prevent criminal activities arising from corruption. It publishes for example the Global Corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perceptions Index. Transparency International has the legal status of a German registered voluntary association and serves as an umbrella organization. Its members have grown from a few individuals to more than 100 national chapters which engage in fighting corruption in their home countries. According to the 2016 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report, Transparency International was number 9 of 100 in the Top Think Tanks Worldwide (non-U.S.) category and number 27 of 150 in the Top Think Tanks Worldwide (U.S. and non-U.S.) category.



The Declaration Against Corruption

 * I will not pay bribes
 * I will not seek bribes
 * I will work with others to campaign against corruption
 * I will speak out against corruption and report on abuse
 * I will only support candidates for public office who say no to corruption and demonstrate transparency, integrity and accountability


 * Corruption – the abuse of entrusted power for private gain – is wrong. It destroys the basic rights of hundreds of millions of people across the world, it has devastating consequences on the services provided by public institutions and it undermines the prospect for a better life for future generations.
 * I believe together we can work towards ending corruption, overcoming widespread injustice and impunity.
 * All forms of corruption must be ended to secure the basic rights of all people and ensure a world where everyone can live in dignity.
 * This Declaration Against Corruption is consistent with and supportive of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
 * It is also consistent with Transparency International’s core values: Transparency, Accountability, Integrity, Solidarity, Courage, Justice, Democracy.
 * The Declaration Against Corruption


 * Transparency International...confirmed that its International Board of Directors decided on 10 January 2017 to disaccredit Transparency International-USA as the National Chapter in the United States... in accordance with Transparency International's Accreditation Policy... All accredited Chapters of Transparency International undergo an accreditation review every three years to ensure consistency with Transparency International’s mission, values and principles and to confirm mutual interest in continuing working together.... the basis for the disaccreditation was the Board’s recognition of differences in philosophies, strategies, and priorities between the former chapter and the Transparency International Movement.   Transparency International further confirmed that it remains fully committed to supporting the fight against corruption in the United States, alongside US civil society organisations, individuals, including its Individual Members in the United States, companies, and government agencies...
 * Transparency International Confirms Disaccrediation of It's Chapter in the US, Transparency International Secretariat  (24 January 2017)


 * The low score comes at a time when the U.S. is experiencing threats to its system of checks and balances as well as an erosion of ethical norms at the highest levels of power.
 * U.S. Is Perceived to Be More Corrupt Under Trump, Fortune, Hallie Detrick (29 January 2019)


 * The European Parliament and EU Council have agreed a pathbreaking piece of legislation that will help protect whistleblowers around Europe. The political agreement was reached in tough negotiations in the early hours of this morning, and is the first time that the EU will have dedicated legislation in this area.
 * The proposed legislation will give much greater protections for individuals who wish to come forward when they encounter corruption or illegality in the workplace and will provide both public and private sector employers with greater legal certainty around their rights and obligations.
 * “Today is a historic day for those wish to expose corruption and wrongdoing” said Nick Aiossa, Senior Policy Officer at Transparency International EU, “Whistleblowers in the EU, like Howard Wilkinson, the Danske Bank whistleblower, have spent far too long facing unjust retaliation for speaking out. It is quite an accomplishment that negotiations between the institutions have come to a positive end.”
 * Historic Day for Whistleblowers as EU Agrees Pathbreaking Legislation, Transparency International Liaison Office to the European Union, (12 March 2019)


 * Transparency Germany...has filed a criminal complaint against the Bundestag member Karin Strenz... and the former Bundestag member Eduard Lintner... in an alleged bribery case orchestrated by the Azerbaijani government. The watchdog has asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Berlin to determine if the two politicians violated the German Criminal Code’s section 108e on bribery and corruption of elected officials.
 * The evidence for the criminal complaint stems from the leaked bank records... Investigative journalists revealed that the Azerbaijani ruling elite operated a US$3 million slush fund and a money laundering scheme to, among other things, bribe politicians to water down critical human rights resolutions and election observation reports.
 * Authorities Asked to Investigate Elected Officials over Azerbaijani Laundromat Bribery Scandal, Transparency International Germany (14 March 2019)

Quotes about

 * The United States is perceived to be more corrupt than at any time since 2011.  Transparency International’s global Corruption Perceptions Index 2018, claims the U.S. is now seen as the 22nd most honest country in the world – a fall of six places since 2017.   It adds that the U.S. is also a “country to watch and monitor”, due in part to President Trump’s suppression of the media, weakening checks and balances, and increasing conflicts of interest.
 * The report adds that growing nativism and populism, political polarisation, and a rise in hate crimes are exacerbating a loss of trust in the U.S. government’s institutions.  “The low score comes at a time when the U.S. is experiencing threats to its system of checks and balances as well as an erosion of ethical norms at the highest levels of power,” says TI.. Transparency International ranks 180 countries around the world on a 100-point scale, with zero being “highly corrupt” and 100 being “very clean”. The scores are based on 13 surveys and expert assessments from 12 institutions measuring perceptions of corruption over the past two years... The U.S. isn’t the only country showing a downward trend in democracy. Transparency International says the past two decades have seen a decline in democracy across the globe.
 * U.S. is Perceived to Be More Corrupt Under Trump, Fortune, Hallie Detrick (29 January 2019)


 * In 2017, the anti-corruption group Transparency International Canada received a donation of $112,708.08 and listed it as from an “anonymous donor known to TI-Canada.”... “TI Canada conducted due diligence on the donor before accepting funds,” the group noted. “The decision to accept the donation was made by TI Canada’s Board of Directors following a thorough consideration of the matter.” Transparency International Canada is an affiliate of the umbrella group Transparency International in Berlin, which has a donations policy that provides that “Each TI body should list all donations over 1,000 Euros (about $1500 Canadian) and publicly disclose them.”  James Cohen, the executive director of Transparency International Canada, interprets that policy as requiring a disclosure of the donation, not the donor.
 * Transparency International Canada Not So Transparent, Corporate Crime Reporter (27 February 2019)


 * The Gulf city of Dubai has been slammed as a “money laundering paradise” by leading anti-corruption group Transparency International....In its latest Corruption Perceptions Index, anti-graft campaigning group Transparency International says that “Dubai has become an active global hub for money laundering … where the corrupt and other criminals can go to buy luxurious property with no restrictions.”  Citing investigations last year by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), Transparency International said that real estate worth millions of pounds can be bought in Dubai in exchange for cash with few questions ever asked.
 * In a report issued in June last year, C4ADS said it had identified 44 properties worth some $28.2m that were held directly by sanctioned individuals, and a further 37 properties worth almost $80m that were owned by members of these individuals’ wider networks... The opaque nature of the political and legal systems in the UAE can often prove frustrating for businesses. One prominent recent example is the battle over $496m in funds owned by a Kuwaiti investment firm – the money was frozen in a Dubai bank account in November 2017, but despite sustained lobbying of officials in Kuwait and the UAE it remains frozen at the time of writing.
 * Dubai Has Become A "Money Laundering Paradise" Says Anti-Corruption Group, Forbes, Dominic Dudley, (2 February 2019)


 * Siemens has donated $3 million to the world’s leading anti-corruption organization, Berlin-based Transparency International. Siemens pled guilty in 2008 to bribery charges and paid more than $1.6 billion in penalties. Siemens was implicated in corruption in Greece, Norway, Iraq, Vietnam, Italy, Israel, Argentina, Venezuela, China and Russia. And Siemens admitted last year... that there are ongoing and recent corruption investigations into Siemens activities in Kuwait, Central Asia, the Caribbean, Brazil, Argentina, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Venezuela, South Africa, Thailand, and Bangladesh — as well as at the Inter-American Development Bank and  European Investment Bank.   “This really shows that Transparency International is not as pure as people think,” said a Transparency International insider, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.  “Transparency International’s own policy forbids accepting money from corrupt companies. Period. Even though the Siemens bribery scandal broke in 2006, the company is still being investigated in more than 20 countries — in Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. All over the world, Siemens is still under suspicion.”
 * Siemens Donates $3 Million to Transparency International, Corporate Crime Reporter (21 January 2015)