Dear TIPS Member,
One year has passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has led inter alia to the UK sanctioning 1500 Russian individuals and entities. Last year, the Economic Crime Act was quickly passed through UK Parliament among other things to clamp down on anonymous ownership of UK property through shell companies. Recently, Transparency International sought to obtain information on Western governments’ progress in tracing kleptocratic assets in an open letter sent to governments making up the Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs Task Force (REPO) Task Force. The UK, among others, has rejected TI’s requests for statistics on the sanctioned individuals and entities, frozen assets, and initiated legal proceedings. This is a stark reminder that much work is still needed around the transparency of information.
This month, the TIPS Network also welcomed a new intern, Magdaline Mwangi. Magdaline will be supporting the TIPS team over the next three months and has already been doing a great job promoting TIPS through our social media channels and working on some of our longer term initiatives. You can learn more about Magdaline in this month’s “Focus on…” section!
Please see below the TIPS Newsletter for February 2023. We look forward to seeing you soon.
- the TIPS team
1. Upcoming Events (register on our Events page)
TIPS Anniversary Event | Anti-corruption: Impactful Advocacy - How to play your part | 14 March 2023 | 7-8.30pm GMT
TIPS Virtual Event | The anti-corruption landscape in France | 28 March 2023 | 7-8pm GMT
The application of international human rights law to armed conflicts | 13 March 2023 | 5.30-7.30pm GMT
Gaining a competitive edge through ESG and sustainability | 22 March 2023 | 1-1.45pm GMT
The importance of ESG Corporate Governance and Due Diligence | 28 March 2023 | 12.30pm GMT
2. Recent Events
TIPS KCL Debate | 8 February 2023
TIPS would like to thank to Alan Mokroussov and the KCL Law Society, who hosted a fourth annual debate with TIPS. Adam Bakran, Helene Kadjar, Joseph Sinclair and Oliver Williams were at KCL’s Strand Campus to discuss the ECJ’s recent ruling about open public registers of company UBOs, including the right to privacy vs transparency, as well as a career in anti-corruption. Looking forward to more of the same next year!
TIPS | How to counter risks Russia poses to the global financial system | 28 February 2023
The TIPS Network was delighted to welcome Valeriya Melnichuk of HIGHGATE for a highly insightful discussion around financial risks posed by Russia. Among other things, she highlighted the risks of sanctions circumvention and the exploitation of western businesses and professional services to obscure corruption. Valeriya’s calls to action included being more vigilant, raising awareness and joining volunteer networks that help to tackle the reputational risks posed by Russia.
Thank you to TIPS committee member, Jan-Peter Westad (also of HIGHGATE) for expertly moderating the session!
3. Items of Interest
TI publications.
- CPI 2022: Corruption as a fundamental threat to peace and security. See here.
- Research Reveals Nearly 52,000 UK Properties Still Owned Anonymously - Despite New Transparency Law. See here.
- Mitigating corruption in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine: an overview of the debate. See here.
- Obligations to report corruption: Examples of national Statutory and non-statutory provisions. See here.
- Overcoming governance challenges in international health financing. See here.
TI blogs.
- Maintaining trust in Scotland’s Government: Our Aspirations for Transparent Scottish Politics. See here.
- Corruption Perceptions Index 2022: A Wake-Up Call for Britain. See here.
- 9 Countries to Watch on the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index. See here.
- The Freebie Files – or how Qatargate triggered a new-found love for travel transparency among MEPs. See here.
- Georgian Parliament must reject proposed ‘Foreign Agents Law. See here.
Podcasts.
- Kickback: Daniel Kaufman and Liz David-Barret on State Capture. Listen here
- Corruption Crime and Compliance: DOJ’s Compliance Frontier: Incentives and Disincentives. Listen here.
- The Wolfsberg Group, the European Banking Authority, and De-risking. Listen here.
- Kickback: Dame Margaret Hodge on integrity in business and business in the UK. Listen here.
Other items.
- Transparency International Video and Fine Arts Competition, 2023, to fight corruption. See here.
- How to prepare for the proposed UK ‘failure to prevent fraud’ offense. See here.
- Handbook of good practices in the fight against corruption. see here.
- The Fishrot Files: Clean Countries and Fishy Business. See here.
- How does the World Bank determine who it can sanction? See here.
- Global Corruption Worsens, but Africa Makes Progress. See here.
- Corruption in Europe: a continent divided. See here.
- Perceived corruption in the UK has hit an all-time high. See here.
4. Jobs Board
- Programme Officer, Transparency International – Defence & Security, London. See here.
- Deputy Chief Intelligence Officer, Serious Fraud Office, London. See here.
- Global Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABC) Officer, Deutsche Bank, London. See here.
5. One Minute Reads
New One Minute Reads have been uploaded to the TIPS website. Please do click the link to read more – perfect for your morning/evening WFH coffee break!
6. Support TI-UK directly by joining Friends of TI-UK!
As a friend of TI-UK you will receive updates from TI-UK directly about TI-UK's ground-breaking research & advocacy campaigns. Your subscription will also support TI-UK's ongoing work across the UK, Business, Health, Defence & Security initiatives. Find out more here.
8. Focus on...
Magdaline Mwangi
Lawyer and Student, University of Sussex
TIPS Network Intern
Why did you get involved with TIPS?
My MA, Corruption and Governance, course coordinator at the University of Sussex circulated a notice for a TIPS Network event which I found interesting and therefore decided to attend. I loved the event so much that I checked out TIPS Network website and decided to subscribe to their mailing list.
When it came to settling on an organisation to intern with, it was easy to settle for this TIPS Network. This is because I was interested in working with an organisation that makes use of networks to drive the anti-corruption agenda - in the hope that I can later apply lessons learnt in Kenya. The TIPS Network is doing just that, through its advocacy and outreach initiatives, thereby being an invaluable opportunity for me to learn as I support its work.
Please describe your experience as part of the TIPS Network.
As a part of TIPS I have had the honour of doing two most notable things. First, holding meetings with TIPS Committee Members who are kind to set aside time to ensure that I am learning and integrating seamlessly. Such a great pool of knowledge and experience. Second, closely working with the head of TIPS Network’s advocacy initiative lead, Stella Cooper, to generate the One Minute Reads and this newsletter.
Connect with Magdaline on Linkedin.