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Plundering politicians
and bribing multinationals undermine economic development, says TI
Transparency
International's new Global Corruption Report 2004 charts the flow of stolen
assets, recommends ways to recover money looted by despots, and sets out new
Standards on Political Finance and Favours
London, 25
March 2004
Political corruption undermines the hopes for
prosperity and stability of developing countries, and damages the global
economy," said Peter Eigen, Chairman of Transparency International (TI),
launching the TI Global
Corruption Report 2004 (GCR
2004 ) today. "The abuse of political
power for private gain deprives the most needy of vital public services,
creating a level of despair that breeds conflict and violence. It also hits
the pockets of taxpayers and shareholders worldwide. The problem must be
tackled at the national and international level," he said.
"The
GCR 2004 , with a
special focus on political corruption," said Eigen, "is a call to action to
bring integrity and accountability into governance, to stop bribery by
multinational companies, and to curb the flow of stolen assets into secret
bank accounts in the west." TI is the leading international non-governmental
organisation combating corruption worldwide.
"Democracies can no longer tolerate bribery,
fraud and dishonesty," states former US President Jimmy Carter in a foreword
to the GCR 2004
, "especially as such practices disproportionately hurt the poor."
The
GCR 2004 details funds
allegedly embezzled by political leaders of the past two decades. During his
misrule, Mohamed Suharto, President of Indonesia from 1967-98, is alleged to
have stolen US$15-US$35 billion in a country where the GDP per capita hovers
at around US$700. Suharto tops the table of corrupt politicians.
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Where did the
money go? - The top 10 |
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Head of government
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Estimates of funds
allegedly embezzled
|
GDP per capita (2001)
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1. Mohamed Suharto |
President of Indonesia,
1967-98 |
US$ 15 to 35 billion
|
US$ 695
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2. Ferdinand Marcos |
President of the Philippines, 1972-86
|
US$ 5 to 10 billion |
US$
912
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3. Mobutu Sese Seko |
President of Zaire, 1965-97 |
US$ 5 billion |
US$ 99
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4. Sani Abacha |
President of Nigeria, 1993-98 |
US$ 2 to 5 billion |
US$ 319
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5. Slobodan Milosevic |
President of Serbia/Yugoslavia, 1989-2000
|
US$ 1 billion |
n/a
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6. Jean-Claude Duvalier |
President of Haiti, 1971-86 |
US$ 300 to 800 million |
US$ 460
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7. Alberto Fujimori |
President of Peru, 1990-2000 |
US$ 600 million |
US$ 2,051
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8. Pavlo Lazarenko |
Prime Minister of Ukraine, 1996-97 |
US$ 114 to 200 million |
US$ 766
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9. Arnoldo Alemán |
President of Nicaragua, 1997-2002
|
US$ 100 million |
US$ 490
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10. Joseph Estrada |
President of the Philippines, 1998-2001
|
US$ 78 to 80 million |
US$ 912
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Transparency
International Standards on Political Finance and Favours |
1.
Donations to political parties and candidates to elected office must
not be a means to gain personal or policy favours. Parties and
candidates must practise transparency. Governments must implement
adequate conflict-of-interest legislation.
2.
Political parties, candidates and
politicians should disclose detailed information about assets,
donations, in-kind donations, loans and expenditure, on an annual
basis as well as before and after elections, to an independent agency.
3.
Independent public oversight bodies endowed with the necessary
resources must effectively supervise the observance of regulatory laws
and measures. Together with independent courts, they must ensure that
offenders are held accountable and duly sanctioned.
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4.
Diversified funding should be sought through: state funding and
subsidised access to the media; the encouragement of small donations
and membership fees; and controls on corporate, foreign and large
individual donations. Spending limits should be considered.
5.
Candidates and parties must be given fair access to the media. The
media should play an independent role, free from political
interference, both in election campaigns and in the broader political
process.
6.
Civil society should have the opportunity to actively participate in
promoting adequate legislation in the field of political finance and
in the monitoring of political finance and its impact on political
representation.
The full text of the TI Standards is available in the TI
Global Corruption Report 2004 |
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