11: number of G20 members who score less than five out of 10 on Transparency International’sCorruption Perceptions Index
56 per cent: of citizens in G20 countries think corruption has increased in their country in the last three years, according to Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer (Saudi Arabia was not covered by the survey). Only 29 per cent assess their government’s actions in the fight against corruption as effective.
US $4.8 trillion: the proceeds of financial crimes such as bribery and tax evasion that have flowed out of the G20’s 10 emerging economies from 2000-2009, according to Global Financial Integrity
451: number of anti-bribery cases completed in G20 countries signed up to OECD anti-bribery convention by the end of 2010, but the US and Germany together account for 80 per cent of this.
THREE G20 SUCCESSES
• Criminalising foreign bribery New legislation passed in China, Russia and the UK. New legislation is also going through parliament in India and Indonesia • Protecting people who report corruption New whistleblower protection legislation has been passed in some countries, such as South Korea. • Preventing tax evasion The G20 have committed to the Multilateral Convention on Tax Information Exchange. A common framework like this convention will provide a common understanding for authorities to work together, instead of working on the basis of numerous individual agreements made between different nations. The convention will also make it possible for tax information to be exchanged automatically, making it easier for officials to react quickly, which is vital in an economy where money can be moved to a tax haven at the click of a button.
THREE G20 FAILURES
• Failing to support global anti-corruption laws Three members of the G20 have still not ratified to world’s biggest anti-corruption commitment: the UN Convention against Corruption. To date 160 countries