| Defence Anti-Corruption Digest Edition 38, December 2009 |
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Including:
Asia & Pacific: Four military officers indicted for bribery Europe: Deal to scrap army tanks leads to bribery trial Americas: US politicians face inquiry into arms deals Middle East: OECD: Israel must step up fight against international bribery Africa: Congo army helps rebels get arms, UN finds 
Transparency International UK's Defence Anti-Corruption Digest Edition 38 / Dec 2009
Defence Against CorruptionThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  Below is a selection of news headlines from around the world from the past month. Please see our disclaimer immediately below the news section. Government asks Army to clean its house Copyright the Economic Times, 02 December 2009
An inquiry has been ordered which links senior Indian Army officials to a land scam in Darjeeling in West Bengal. The transfer of 71 acres of land adjacent to the Sukna military station to a real estate developer was allegedly facilitated by army staff with personal ties to the buyer. President Zardari suspected of graft in sale of submarine Copyright M E Transparent, 12 November 2009
Four military officers indicted for bribery Copyright the Korea Times, 23 November 2009 Former Bulgarian DM facing contract fraud charges Copyright Agence France-Presse, 20 November 2009 Deal to scrap army tanks leads to bribery trial Copyright Helsingin Sanomat, 26 November 2009 Former Croat minister charged for corruption Copyright Javno, 28 October 2009
Berislav Roncevic, former Croatian defence minister, is accused of embezzling over 1.4 million euros for the purchase of 39 Italian trucks.
21 British employees to be investigated over bribery claims Copyright Mail Online, 03 November 2009
British military employees are charged with taking bribes from local contractors for the supply of army units and renovation work on buildings at sites in Germany.
Congress to probe private military contractors in Afghanistan Copyright CNN, 17 December 2009 US congress is to launch an investigation into the abuse of public funds used to support private military contractors. It is possible that private security providers for US transportation contractors are paying local warlords and the Taliban to guarantee security.
Army officer, wife and relatives sentenced in bribery and money laundering scheme related to DOD Copyright pr-Cananda.net, 05 December 2009 John L. Cockerham, a Major in the US army, has been sentenced to 210 months in prison. Cockerham pleaded guilty to participation in a bribery scheme whilst working as a contracting officer delivering services to the US army in Iraq. He has been ordered to repay $9.6 million received in bribes.US politicians face inquiry into arms deals A report by the US Congress ethics committee has named 30 US politicians, including seven members of a defence procurement committee, in apparent influence-peddling during defence projects. Six house members allegedly received contributions of $6.2 million and sponsored earmarks worth $200 million for lobby group PMA. Peru: Vice President accused of corruption Peruvian Vice President Luis Giampietri is facing criminal charges for corruption. The accusations concern the procurement of equipment for the Navy between 1994-95, for which Giampietri is said to have earned millions of dollars in commissions.
OECD: Israel must step up fight against international bribery Copyright Haaretz.com, 17 December 2009
A recent report by the OECD declared that Israel must improve transparency in its arms deals if it wishes to join the OECD. At present it is claimed that Israeli defence companies enjoy too much protection under military censure and any cases of alleged bribery are often not reported.
How France fuelled Angola’s civil war Copyright Guardian, 01 November 2009 The recent conviction of Pierre Falcone, an official with close ties to the Angolan government, has exposed the role of arms trafficking in fuelling the Angolan civil war.
Congo army helps rebels get arms, UN finds Copyright New York Times, 25 November 2009
A United Nation’s report has revealed the complicity of the Congolese army in providing weapons to rebel groups and its engagement in the illegal extraction of minerals. The UN says that the Congolese army is involved in a vast criminal network in the East of the country, extending across neighbouring countries. Disclaimer
Transparency International UK takes no position on the views presented by reporters, commentators, organisations and companies in the materials listed in this email or linked to in our website. As with any such resource, our purpose is to provide access to a wide selection of materials representing diverse viewpoints on a matter of obvious public interest. We do not exercise any editorial control over the materials and cannot guarantee their accuracy. The Digest is a free publication of Transparency International UK.
An overview of our project within the defence sector can be accessed here . Transparency International UK Defence Against Corruption programme defence[at] transparency.org.uk Telephone: 020 7785 6358
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Government asks Army to clean its house Copyright the Economic Times, 02 December 2009 An inquiry has been ordered which links senior Indian Army officials to a land scam in Darjeeling in West Bengal. The transfer of 71 acres of land adjacent to the Sukna military station to a real estate developer was allegedly facilitated by army staff with personal ties to the buyer.
President Zardari suspected of graft in sale of submarine Copyright M E Transparent, 12 November 2009 http://www.metransparent.com/spip.php?page=article&id_article=8597〈=en
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari is charged with receiving millions of dollars of kickbacks from the purchase of three French submarines to the Pakistani Navy in 1994. It is claimed that Zardari received $4.3 million from the submarine purchases. The case has been linked to the killings of 11 French Naval Company Defence employees in Paris in 2002.
Four military officers indicted for bribery Copyright the Korea Times, 23 November 2009 http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/11/113_56019.html
A number of Korean naval officers are the subject of investigations concerning bribes taken from local suppliers between 2002 and 2005. |