Corruption Watch UK is extremely disappointed with today’s High Court ruling that arms sales to Saudi Arabia by the UK government are lawful. The UK government’s approval of arms sales to Saudi Arabia was challenged by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), with supporting submissions made by Amnesty International, Rights Watch UK and Human Rights Watch.

In a landmark ruling, the High Court in London has said that interview notes – made by ENRC’s external law firm as part of internal investigations into allegations of corruption in Kazakhstan and Africa – are not protected by legal professional privilege. Mrs Justice Andrews’ 8 May decision, which Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) is

This is a longer version of a blog that originally appeared on the Global Anticorruption Blog on 11 May 2017 Exactly a year ago, last May, the UK government under David Cameron gathered 43 nations around the world together at the UK Anti-Corruption Summit to show their commitment to fighting corruption. The resulting declaration made

Corruption Watch’s newest report tells the story of how a a UK-registered company, CAS-Global Ltd, bought a second hand naval vessel (the KNM Horten), and exported it into the hands of a company controlled by a former Nigerian Warlord – via the UK. Based on newly obtained documents, the report reveals the reasons why the

On 29 March, two senior UK judges dismissed an attempt by Unaoil to challenge an SFO investigation into allegations that the company paid bribes around the world. It is the latest in a fast-growing list of failed judicial reviews against the SFO brought on shaky legal grounds. Unaoil hit the front pages of newspapers around

On Thursday 23rd March, the OECD Working Group on Bribery released its fourth report into how well the UK is implementing the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. The Working Group highlighted in its press release the important role that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has played in the “strong progress” that the UK has made in fighting

Due diligence provider TRACE International certified a Nigerian company that, according to court documents, paid bribes on behalf of Rolls-Royce. The revelation comes less than a year after allegations that TRACE certificates helped Unaoil do corrupt business around the world on behalf of multinationals. The failure to detect possible wrongdoing by Unaoil and Rolls-Royce’s Nigerian

On 5th February, the Guardian revealed that UK Export Finance (UKEF) – a government body which provides exporters with government backed insurance products – is conducting an internal review into whether Rolls-Royce complied with its anti-corruption policies. This follows Rolls-Royce’s admission in two Deferred Prosecution Agreements in the UK and the US to having paid

You may have missed it, because it garnered little in the way of press coverage, but the Court of Appeal in London made an important and welcome decision in an international corruption case last week. The decision, which upheld a freezing order for corrupt assets, suggests that UK courts will take a dim view of overseas orders

So Rolls Royce has been fined £671 million under a global settlement for a bribery scheme that ranged from the 1980 right up until 2013 and spanned 13 countries. The Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the UK’s SFO resulted in a fine of £497.2 million for payment of bribes concealed in well over $56 million

The allegations of widespread bribery by aerospace and defence giant, Rolls Royce, raised both by Panorama and the Guardian are a fundamental test of the UK’s political will and ability to prosecute such crime. A successful prosecution of Rolls Royce would be hugely symbolic and help lay to rest the demons of the UK’sdisastrous handling

On 12th October the full High Court ruling refusing Soma Oil and Gas’s judicial review challenge to an SFO investigation was published. The hearing was held back in August. The SFO launched an investigation in July 2015 into allegations of corruption and bribery surrounding ‘capacity building payments’ by Soma in Somalia. This was prompted by

This week the OECD Working Group on Bribery (WGB) review team have been in London reviewing the UK’s implementation with the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. This is the sixth time the UK has been reviewed. The UK has been reviewedby the WGB three more times than any of the other major OECD countries such as Germany,

Corruption Watch UK is looking to hire a Senior Legal Research with Investigative Skills. Please see the posting below. Corruption Watch is an anticorruption organisation that focuses on ending corporate impunity for grand corruption. Through detailed investigations and policy work, we expose corruption, primarily but not exclusively in the defence sector, and advocate for change.

The fight against corruption has just become a whole lot harder. Brexit and its political and economic fallout risks pulling the rug from under many of the gains made in fighting corruption in the UK over the past few years. This is for the following reasons: 1. David Cameron had a personal interest in tackling

Against the backdrop of the UK’s Anti-Corruption Summit in mid -May 2016, a jury at the Southwark Crown Court retired to consider six counts of corruption brought against Peter Chapman, the former business manager for Africa for Securency International PTY Ltd., after a six-week long trial. The allegations brought by the UK Serious Fraud Office

There was a considerable amount of scepticism in some quarters when British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his international anti-corruption summit. The UK is not renowned for its vigorous fight against corruption – few of its companies have been prosecuted for bribes, London and the UK’s overseas territories are a hub for laundering corrupt capital,

Ahead of its premiere at the Tribeca film festival on the 16th of April 2016, the official trailer for Shadow World is now available to view on the Shadow World website: http://shadowworldfilm.com/ The site also provides additional details as to screening dates for the film, and further information about the films content.

Shadow World, a film by director Johan Grimonprez and based on Andrew Feinstein’s book of the same name, is to make its global premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2016. Andrew Feinstein, executive director of Corruption Watch UK, worked closely with Grimonprez over the past three years to bring the film to fruition.

Corporate settlements to deal with foreign bribery are becoming all the rage. It is hardly surprising. The US has racked up an apparently impressive enforcement record on foreign bribery that far outstrips any other country, while raking in billions of dollars in the process. What’s not to like? Corruption Watch has produced a substantive report

The SFO under David Green has repeatedly made clear that companies that don’t cooperate will not be eligible for a Deferred Prosecution Agreement. It has used the Sweett case to drive that message home. Sweett, the UK’s only listed quantity surveyor, pleaded guilty on 18th December 2015 to failure to prevent bribery under Section 7

In a very significant judgement on Friday 15th January, the Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the Serious Fraud Office, finding that bribery of foreign officials was indeed illegal prior to 2002. The SFO had appealed a ruling by Judge Pegden in an ongoing case the SFO is prosecuting (the facts of the

On Friday 8th January 2016, Smith and Ouzman, the small printing company at the heart of the Chickengate scandal in Kenya (see blog on Chickens come home to roost https://cw-uk.org/trial-monitoring/) was given a financial penalty of £2.2 million – £1.3 million as a fine, and £881,000 in confiscation. The company was convicted in December 2014

The UK’s first Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA), approved by a senior judge on 30th November and involving Standard Bank’s alleged failure to prevent its Tanzanian subsidiary and its executives from paying bribes, has changed the UK’s legal landscape for fighting bribery and economic crime. Corruption Watch UK has conducted an analysis of the DPA and

Corruption Watch UK has written to Mark Steward, the Director of Enforcement at the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), urging the FCA to open an investigation into individuals currently or previously employed at Standard Bank PLC relating to activities described by the company’s Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA). Standard Bank PLC entered into a DPA with

In July 2015, the UK Government engaged in a secret and one-sided consultation with business on the Guidance on the UK’s Bribery Act, asking what changes business would like to see to it. Corruption Watch UK has now received, through a Freedom of Information Act request, the email chain that led to the consultation, along

The UK’s Independent reports today on recent news that the UK government has reneged on its plans to introduce more effective corporate liability laws that would allow for the effective prosecution of UK corporates for economic crimes such as corruption and money laundering. Answering a question in Parliament, the Justice Minister, Andrew Selous, stated that

Today, Corruption Watch UK launches a new report on Corporate Liability, the options for its reform and the necessity of doing so. The report can be viewed in full here. Corporate liability reform in the UK is long overdue. The inadequacy of the UK’s corporate liability laws has been recognised by the government, the Law

On 20th May this year, Ben Morgan, the Serious Fraud Office’s Joint Head of Bribery and Corruption, told the Global Anti-Corruption and Compliance in Mining Conference 2015 that the SFO had sent out its first letters of invitation to companies to enter into Deferred Prosecution Agreements. Shortly afterwards there was speculation that Tesco, under investigation

It emerged at the end of July that the UK’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been informally consulting business groups as to whether the Bribery Act poses a ‘problem’ for them. This was just a few days after Prime Minister David Cameron gave a major speech in Singapore saying that tackling corruption was

The UK’s Independent newspaper has recently covered the news that Deferred Prosecution Agreements have been offered to at least two different companies, arguing that their use could be construed as ‘justice for sale.’ Sue Hawley of Corruption Watch was interviewed and quoted by the Independent on the matter. The full article can be viewed here

The Financial Times has reported on the joint letter sent by Corruption Watch UK, Global Witness and Transparency International to the Serious Fraud Office. The letter, addressed to SFO director David Green, raises concerns regarding the implementation of Deferred Prosecution Agreements in the UK. The article can be viewed here The letter can be viewed

On the 19th of June 2015, Corruption Watch UK, Global Witness and Transparency International, sent an advisory letter to David Green, the Director of the Serious Fraud Office. The letter notes that the first round of Deferred Prosecution invitations have been issued, and that this suggests the strong need to ensure that they are implemented

Corruption Watch UK and Corruption Watch South Africa have been alerted to an individual directing correspondence under the name of Corruption Watch to the Secretary of State for International Development, MP Justine Greening, regarding investigations into James Ibori . Corruption Watch UK and Corruption Watch South Africa have written to Justine Greening clarifying that neither organisation

The UK’s Financial Times has confirmed that Richard Alderman has resigned from an OECD advisory group on corruption and bribery. His resignation follows a letter to Angel Gurria of the OECD expressing disappointment with Alderman’s original appointment. The letter was signed by Corruption Watch UK, Global Witness, Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Corner House, Corruption

On the 28th of April 2015, Corruption Watch UK sent a letter to Angel Gurria, the Secretary General of the OECD, which has been cosigned by Global Witness, Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Corner House, R2K (South Africa) and Corruption Watch (South Africa). Corruption Watch UK expressed disappointment with the appointment of Richard Alderman, the

There are 12 billion bullets produced every year – almost two bullets for every person on the planet. Guns kill as many as 500,000 people every year. Tearing lives apart, they impact not only the dead, the wounded, the suicidal and the mourning, but have far-reaching effects on society and communities. In a hard-hitting exploration,

By Sue Hawley 4 March 2015 Last week, on 26th February, new EU Procurement Directives took effect in the UK. The previous EU Procurement Directives played a pivotal and frankly detrimental role in the prosecution (or rather lack of) overseas corruption offences. Until last week, technically, if a company was convicted of corruption it could

13 February 2015 It has long been an anti-corruption mantra that corruption is not a victimless crime. As the OECD states in its anti-corruption literature, corruption “hurts real people in real ways” and “those most hurt by it are the world’s weakest and most vulnerable.” The SFO recognises this. In its ‘Our Commitment to You’

9 February 2015 Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Corruption Watch UK, and the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) have sent an open letter to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega seeking his “Clarifications on the contracts for printing ballot papers for the 2015 elections.”   The groups expressed

15 January 2015 By Sue Hawley On 20 December 2014, just as the trial of its Directors and itself as a company was coming to a close, Smith and Ouzman posted on its website a news article stating that it had been awarded, in September 2014, the BS10500 – the relatively new anti-bribery management certification

12 January 2015 As part of our new project on Corporate Accountability and the Rule of Law, Corruption Watch UK has launched a trial monitoring service. Corruption Watch UK will be monitoring on-going corruption cases in the court system in the UK, providing a summary of the cases and access to primary source material. We

Corruption Watch UK director Andrew Feinstein was recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal regarding the new joint venture between Germany’s Rheinmetall and South Africa’s Denel. The full story can be viewed here

As part of Corruption Watch UK’s newly launched project on Corporate Accountability for Grand Corruption and the Rule of Law in the UK, Corruption Watch UK is proud to announce our first trial monitoring briefing. The briefing discusses the successful prosecution of the UK-based printer Smith and Ouzman and its implications for corruption enforcement in

8 December 2014 The Bribery Act of 2010 finally made the UK compliant with its international anti-corruption obligations, and added to the UK’s arsenal of anti-corruption legislation. But laws are only as good as their enforcement, of which there has been far too little. David Green, the Serious Fraud Office’s director since April 2012, has

Corruption Watch was approached in late 2011 with a significant cache of documents that provided insight into one of the most egregious cases of financial mismanagement and corruption. Via the insertion of dubious middlemen, hundreds of millions of dollars were diverted from the treasuries of Russia and Angola (one of the poorest countries in the

On the 28th of August 2014, Andrew Feinstein, Paul Holden and Hennie Van Vuuren announced that they were withdrawing from the Seriti Commission of Enquiry into the Arms Deal, citing four fatal concerns with the process. The full statement can be viewed here Simultaneously, and in answer to the claim that there is no evidence

Andrew Feinstein and Paul Holden feature prominently in a  new documentary on allegations of corruption leveled against the German Submarine Industry (ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in particular). The 43 minute television documentary, directed by Antonio Cascais and Marcel Kolvenbach, was broadcast on Germany’s WDR on Monday the 28th of April. The documentary can be watched here

South Africa’s City Press reports on the findings of an internal audit document produced by the South African Department of Trade & Industry. The internal audit points to numerous problems with the offset programs linked to the South African Arms Deal. Corruption Watch UK has consistently raised concerns about the viability and economic value of

Three major news outlets in South Africa have reported on the decision of Andrew Feinstein, Paul Holden (both of Corruption Watch UK) and Hennie Van Vuuren to decline to cross-examine former Minister of Trade and Industry Alec Erwin. Feinstein, Holden and Van Vuuren instructed their advocates, Lawyers for Human Rights, to request the right to

KEY ARMS DEAL DOCUMENTS REMAIN HIDDEN FROM PUBLIC VIEW Lawyers for Human Rights, on the instructions of Andrew Feinstein, Paul Holden and Hennie van Vuuren, on Tuesday was left with no option but to decline the opportunity to cross-examine former trade and industry minister Alec Erwin at the Arms Deal Commission due to lack of

MAOS LIVRES (Angola) & CORRUPTION WATCH UK     Associacao Maos Livres, an Angolan human rights NGO, and Corruption Watch UK, a London-based anti-corruption organisation, are deeply disappointed that Swiss Federal prosecutors have decided not to reopen investigations into a corrupt Russian-Angolan debt deal in which senior politicians, officials and middlemen made hundreds of millions

Attorneys Waeber, Membrez, Bruchez, Mauge received confirmation from the Swiss Public Prosecutor that it had received the ‘denonciation penale’ filed by interested Angolan citizens to request a renewed criminal investigation into the Angola-Russia Debt Deal. Corruption Watch eagerly awaits further feedback from the Public Prosecutor and again reiterates its firm belief that the Deal should

Four concerned Angolan citizens who have filed a ‘denonciation penale’ with Swiss authorities requesting an investigation into the corrupt Angola-Russia Debt Deal have filed a parallel ‘denonciation’ with Angolan authorities. The Angolan citizens, represented by Advocate David Mendes & Associates, are requesting a criminal investigation into the deal in Angola.   Due to concerns about

Corruption Watch was approached in late 2011 with a significant cache of documents that provided insight into one of the most egregious cases of financial mismanagement and corruption. Via the insertion of dubious middlemen, hundreds of millions of dollars were diverted from the treasuries of Russia and Angola (one of the poorest countries in the

Corruption Watch and our partners remain convinced that criminal investigations should continue into the individuals who profited unduly from the Angola-Russia Debt Deal. To this effect, four concerned Angolan citizens have, in April 2013, filed a legal ‘denonciation penale’ with Swiss authorities requesting a criminal investigation into the matter. At the same time, the same

Authors Paul Holden & Lauren Segal Publisher Jacana, 2008 www.saha.org.za

Both Andrew Feinstein and Paul Holden continue to advocate for a full and unfettered investigation into South Africa’s largest post-apartheid scandal. Corruption Watch continues to engage with investigators, prosecutors and journalists around the world to promote and advocate for continued legal action relating to the Deal. Most recently, Feinstein and Holden have been called to

Corruption Watch was approached by the editors of the respected Oxford Handbook of Organised Crime to provide a chapter on the nature, scale and characteristics of arms trafficking around the world. An article by Andrew Feinstein and Paul Holden is due to appear in the publication in 2014.

A project started when Andrew Feinstein was an Open Society Fellow, the Arms Trade Manual is currently in development. The Manual will provide information, case studies, networking and support to activists, legislators, whistle-blowers, journalists and prosecutors attempting to investigate and reveal arms trade malfeasance around the world.

Author Paul Holden Publisher Jonathan Ball, 2008 www.johnathanball.co.za

Andrew Feinstein’s account of the global arms trade continues to generate research leads and is frequently republished in new editions. Corruption Watch continues to act on new information given to us as a result of the publication of The Shadow World, as well as remaining up-to-date with the most recent developments in this worrying trade.

A feature-length documentary, directed by the award-winning Johan Grimonperez, is in production now. It is a Dillywood and Louverture Films production in association with Onomatopee Films. To see more, visit: www.dillywood.com www.louvureturefilms.com www.johangrimonperez.com

Inside the Global Arms Trade Author Andrew Feinstein Publisher Penguin; Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2011 www.theshadowworld.com

A Personal and Political Journey Inside the ANC Author Andrew Feinstein Publisher Jonathan Ball, 2009 and Verso, 2010 www.johnathanball.co.za

Sins of Commission’ in the SIPRI Yearbook 2011 Authors Andrew Feinstein, with Paul Holden & Barnaby Pace Publisher Penguin; Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2011 www.sipri.org

Authors Paul Holden & Marting Plaut Publisher Jonathan Ball and Biteback Publishers, 2012 www.jonathanball.co.za

How the Arms Deal Changed Everything Authors Paul Holden With Hennie Van Vuuren Publisher Jonathan Ball, 2011 www.issafrica.org