TIPS Newsletter | September 2021

Dear TIPS Member,

“If 2020/21 was the year corruption took centre stage, its toll on the public was also more clear-cut than ever.”

- Daniel Bruce, Chief Executive, TI-UK

Reflecting on a year of Covid, contracts and conflict, TI-UK’s latest Impact Report reflects on a year in which UK hospitals were unable to access high quality or reasonably priced personal protective equipment (PPE) for their staff and patients, planning decisions were seemingly based on who you know rather than the public interest, and millions fled their homes and countries when the safest place to be should have been at home.

Among other things, the Impact Report comments on important reports published by TI-UK in the past year such as: (1) Track and Trace, a report focusing on the apparent partisan allocation of PPE and Covid-contracts; (2) Permission Accomplished, which uncovered the risks of corruption in local planning decisions, and (3) For Whose Benefit, which investigated the lack of transparency in Covid-19 vaccine trials and related contracts. The TIPS Network is excited to continue supporting and advocating for TI-UK’s important work.

Please see below the TIPS Newsletter for September 2021. We look forward to seeing you soon.

- the TIPS team

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1. Upcoming Events (register on our Events page)

TIPS Virtual Talk | 25 Oct 2021 | 7-8pm BST

Anti-Corruption Enforcement | 5 Oct 2021 | 2-3.15pm BST

Tainted clothes: human rights in the garment sector (Part 1) | 14 Oct 2021 | 1-4pm BST

Tainted clothes: human rights in the garment sector (Part 2) | 15 Oct 2021 | 8.30-11.30am BST

Business and Human Rights Roundtable | 21 Oct 2021 | 3-4pm BST

The future of EU sustainability reporting (Part 1) | 27 Oct 2021 | 9.30-10.30am BST

The future of EU sustainability reporting (Part 2) | 28 Oct 2021 | 9.30-10.30am BST

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2. Recent Events

TIPS Virtual Talk | Summary

On 27 September 2021, 16 TIPS members attended an engaging discussion session presented by Jorge Valladares and Matt Jenkins from TI Secretariat, who discussed the intersection between digital spaces and political integrity, with a particular focus on online political advertising and algorithmic transparency. It was a thought provoking session that led to probing questions on, among other things, how the law can catch up with technology and who should bear responsible for the output of algorithms developed by tech companies.

Many thanks to Jorge and Matt for presenting such a fascinating session!

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3. Items of Interest

TI UK Impact Report 2021. This annual impact report sets out the highlights to TI-UK’s work over the past 12 months and emphasises the importance of TI-UK’s work in these uncertain times. See here.

TI UK Publication. Understanding access and potential influence in Westminster: this paper sets out TI-UK’s views on how to increase the openness and accountability of lobbying in Westminster. See here.

TI UK blogs.

- Access to information in a world in crisis: how opacity in the defence sector makes countries more vulnerable to corruption. See here.

- UK Sunshine Act: the sun is still behind the clouds. See here.

- Covid, contracts, and conflict: the year corruption took centre stage. See here.

Podcasts.

- Kickback: Jodi Vittori on corruption and the US military operation in Afghanistan. See here.

- Corruption, Crime and Compliance: Common pitfalls in conducting internal investigations. Listen here.

- Financial Crime Matters: Following the money even when it’s cryptocurrency. Listen here.

Other items.

- UK business prepare for new era of public scrutiny as 79% expect investigations in next year. See here.

- Sharp jump in UK fraud cases sparks warning of “national security threat”. See here.

- Madagascar’s vanilla industry has become a magnet for corruption and criminality. See here.

- Corrupt oil trader turns on colleagues in massive Africa bribe case. See here.

- BBC Panorama: Dirty secrets of the cigarette business. See here.

- Ex-wildlife reserve’s Singapore employees among 12 charged in $2.4m corruption scandal. See here.

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4. Jobs Board

- Manager, Ethics & Compliance, TikTok, London. See here.

- Assistant Vice President, Financial Crime Compliance, Credit Suisse, London. See here.

- Investigations Manager, Diageo, London. See here.

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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!

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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.

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7. A Focus on...

Sandra Saadi

TIPS Committee Member

Senior Manager, Client Success

Exiger

Why did you get involved with TIPS?

I have been following the TIPS network’s activities by reading TIPS newsletters and attending webinars, and I was impressed by how much a group of volunteers could do on their spare time to gather information and educate others about anti-corruption and business integrity. I learnt so much from their work that I have been able to the use TIPS network’s insights in my professional activities. When I saw that TIPS network needed new volunteers, I did not hesitate to get involved to keep on learning more and contributing more actively to the network.

Please describe your experience as part of the TIPS Network.

I have been a frequent reader of TIPS one minute reads, which I find to be a great way to keep up to date with the latest financial crime prevention news. Moving forward, as a new TIPS committee member, I hope to help to arrange engaging events with great subject matter experts in the anti-corruption field and to support the TIPS network’s growth.

Connect with Sandra on LinkedIn.