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.
Tom Cardamone
Modi Can Lead an International Consensus on Curbing the Flow of Illicit Funds
India has a tremendous opportunity to increase its influence on the world stage. With the second largest population, 10th largest economy, and strategic position among G-20 countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi can, if he chooses, speak articulately for billions of people struggling for a fair share of the world’s riches. At home, his nation continues to face significant challenges in the areas of education, health, sanitation, and inequality. This dichotomy of having a foot in two camps simultaneously — among the richest and poorest nations — provides the platform on which India can seek a much-improved global economic consensus.
Game-Changing Recommendations Urge Institutionalization of Efforts to Combat Illicit Flows, Promote Financial Transparency
Mbeki-Led Group Also Calls for Public Registries of Beneficial Ownership, Public Country-by-Country Reporting for Multinationals
WASHINGTON, DC / ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Global Financial Integrity (GFI) welcomed a new report from the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s (UNECA) High Level Panel (HLP) on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa as a game-changer in the movement to curtail illicit financial flows and promote financial transparency. Chaired by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, the HLP’s final report recommends putting efforts to curtail trade-related illicit flows—constituting the vast majority of measurable illicit financial flows (IFFs)—foremost in African and global efforts to curb the ongoing illegal outflow of African wealth.
GFI’s Heather Lowe Testified at Public Hearing against Exempting Credit Suisse from U.S. Regulation Barring It from Claiming Preferential Asset Manager Status in Wake of Criminal Tax Evasion Conviction
WASHINGTON, DC – Global Financial Integrity (GFI) Legal Counsel and Director of Government Affairs Heather Lowe testified Thursday at a U.S. Department of Labor hearing where she cautioned policymakers against granting Credit Suisse AG (Credit Suisse) a special exemption from U.S. regulations barring it and its affiliates from receiving preferential asset manager treatment after the bank was criminally convicted of willfully aiding in U.S. tax evasion on an industrial scale over many years.
Testimony Urged U.S. Department of Labor to Reject Proposed QPAM Waiver by Credit Suisse
Heather Lowe, GFI’s legal counsel and director of government affairs, testified at a U.S. Department of Labor hearing in Washington on January 15, 2015, urging the department to maintain a ban on Credit Suisse’s ability to engage in high-risk transactions with the pension fund money that they manage following their November 2014 criminal conviction for aiding in tax evasion and the Swiss bank’s long history of systemic compliance failures at the institution and its affiliates.
Public Hearing to Consider Proposed Credit Suisse Exemption from U.S. Regulation Barring It from Claiming Preferential Asset Manager Status in Wake of Criminal Conviction
GFI Expert to Testify in Favor of Financial Integrity, Rule of Law, and Protection of Retirement Funds; Will Recommend Rejection of Proposed Waiver
WASHINGTON, DC – Global Financial Integrity (GFI) Legal Counsel and Director of Government Affairs Heather Lowe will testify at the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday during a public hearing considering whether Credit Suisse AG (Credit Suisse) should be granted an exemption from U.S. regulations barring it and its affiliates from receiving preferential asset manager treatment after the bank was criminally convicted of willfully aiding in U.S. tax evasion on an industrial scale over many years.
This letter constitutes a formal request by Heather Lowe, Legal Counsel and Director of Government Affairs at Global Financial Integrity, to testify at the U.S. Department of Labor public hearing on January 15, 2015, discussing the proposed individual exemption involving Credit Suisse AG’s ability to continue enjoying the privileges of “Qualified Professional Asset Manager” (QPAM) status.
Negotiators Finalize Revisions to EU Anti-Money-Laundering Directive, Including Crucial Measures on Beneficial Ownership Transparency
United States Continues to Lag Behind International Progress on Key Element of Curtailing Illicit Financial Flows
WASHINGTON, DC – Global Financial Integrity (GFI) applauded the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for agreeing yesterday to crack down on anonymous companies, a major conduit for laundering the proceeds of crime, corruption, and tax evasion. Just Tuesday, GFI released its annual flagship analysis of illicit financial flows from developing countries, which found that such flows—growing at nearly twice the rate of global GDP—reached a historic high of US$991.2 billion in 2012, the most recent year for which data is available.
