Illicit Financial Flows Have “Outsized Impact on Poorest Countries”
FfD Negotiators Urged to Target Illicit Financial Flows and Trade Misinvoicing
WASHINGTON, DC – Illicit financial flows (IFFs), stemming from crime, corruption, and tax evasion, have an outsized impact on the world’s poorest countries, according to a new study released today by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington, DC-based research and advisory organization. Titled “Illicit Financial Flows and Development Indices: 2008–2012,” the report also finds strong correlations between higher illicit outflows and higher levels of poverty and economic inequality.
Illicit Financial Flows “Greatly Aggravate Poverty and Oppression in Many Developing Countries”
GFI Estimates Illicit Outflows Drain 5.5% of GDP from Sub-Saharan Africa Annually
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – International and African experts on human rights and illicit financial flows are convening in Johannesburg, South Africa this week for a multi-day conference on the linkages between financial transparency and human rights in Africa.
Hosted by Global Financial Integrity (GFI)—in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)—the event builds upon the New Haven Declaration on Human Rights and Financial Integrity (New Haven Declaration), which recognized that “human rights and international financial integrity are intimately linked.”
Les flux financiers illicites « aggravent considérablement la pauvreté et l’oppression dans de nombreux pays en voie de développement.»
GFI estime que les sorties illicites de capitaux représentent 5.5% du PIB annuel en Afrique sub-saharienne.
JOHANNESBURG, Afrique du Sud – Des spécialistes internationaux et africains des droits de l’homme et des flux financiers illicites se réunissent cette semaine à Johannesburg, en Afrique du Sud, pour une conférence de plusieurs jours sur les liens entre la transparence financière et les droits de l’homme en Afrique.
Organisée par Global Financial Integrity (GFI) – en collaboration avec la fondation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) et l’institut des droits de l’homme de l’Association internationale du barreau (IBAHRI) – cet évènement s’appuie sur la Déclaration de New Haven sur les droits de l’homme et l’intégrité financière (Déclaration de New Haven), qui a reconnu que « les droits de l’homme et l’intégrité financière internationale sont intimement liés. »
Fluxos financeiros ilícitos “Agravam Muito a Pobreza e Opressão em Muitos Países em Desenvolvimento”
A GFI Estima que as Saídas Ilícitas Drenam 5,5% do PIB da África Subsariana anualmente
JOANESBURGO, África do Sul – Especialistas africanos e internacionais sobre direitos humanos e dos fluxos financeiros ilícitos reúnem-se em Joanesburgo, África do Sul esta semana para uma conferência de vários dia as relações entre a transparência financeira e os direitos humanos em África.
Organizada pela Global Financial Integrity (GFI) — em parceria com a Fundação Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) e o Instituto de Direitos Humanos da International Bar Association (IBAHRI) —o evento baseia-se na Declaração de New Haven sobre os Direitos Humanos e a Integridade Financeira (Declaração de New Haven), que reconheceu que “os direitos humanos e a integridade financeira internacional estão intimamente ligados.”
UK Enacts Legislation to Curb Abuse of Anonymous Companies—A Prime Money Laundering Vehicle—with Public Registry of Corporate Ownership Information
U.S. the 2nd-Easiest Place for Criminals to Open Anonymous Companies to Launder Dirty Money
WASHINGTON, DC – The United Kingdom today enacted legislation to crack down on the abuse of anonymous companies—a major conduit for laundering the proceeds of crime, corruption, and tax evasion—in a move that raises pressure on the United States to clean up its own house, noted Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington, DC-based organization working to curtail illicit financial flows.
GFI and 16 Other Groups Send Letter to FinCEN Urging Enhanced Customer Due Diligence Requirements for U.S. Banks and Real Estate Professionals
WASHINGTON, DC – Global Financial Integrity (GFI) and sixteen other civil society organizations called on the U.S. Department of the Treasury to curb money laundering in the U.S. financial system by requiring real estate professionals and financial institutions to know their customers. In a letter to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Treasury Department division charged with combatting money laundering with financial intelligence, the transparency groups note that the current secrecy surrounding anonymous company ownership and the lack of due diligence in the real estate sector open the U.S. financial system to rampant abuse by criminals and kleptocrats.
Top Wall Street Banker Understood the Need for Transparency in the Global Financial System
“A True American Statesman and Hero”
WASHINGTON, DC – Global Financial Integrity (GFI) praised John C. Whitehead, a longtime member of the organization’s Advisory Board, as a true American hero and champion of ethics on Wall Street upon his passing at the age of 92 on Saturday. A World War II veteran, who commanded a D-Day landing craft ferrying troops to Omaha Beach, Mr. Whitehead went on to lead Goldman Sachs and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York before serving as Deputy U.S. Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan. Mr. Whitehead most recently led efforts to help rebuild Manhattan following the September 11th terrorist attacks and served as Chairman of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation.
Swiss Leaks Findings Emblematic of Opaque System Illegally Draining US$1 Trillion Annually from Developing Economies
GFI: Bankers and Bank Executives Must be Held Accountable for their Behavior
WASHINGTON, DC – Leaked HSBC documents revealed today by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) highlight a culture of corruption in the international banking system that goes far beyond the world’s second biggest bank, noted Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington, DC-based research and advocacy organization. Featured Sunday evening on CBS News’ 60 Minutes program, the files allegedly highlight how the Swiss branch of the bank meticulously catered to some of the world’s biggest dictators and criminals, and they are but the latest example of a global bank gone rogue.
