Autocrats use their unchecked powers to enrich themselves by hiding their ill-gotten gains in rule-of-law countries aided by a network of “enablers”. Corruption undermines trust in democracy by contributing to the growing inequality within states that results when corrupt individuals steal public funds, evade taxes, and engage in money laundering.The current failure to attack corruption is, in part, the result of weak enforcement by states of the obligations they have already incurred. And yet, states also fail to prioritize corruption over conflicting interests, e.g., trade, foreign relations, security, and development policies.Criminalizing the enablers of corruption would be a key tool in the fight against global corruption as would a clearer publicunderstanding that corruption is a serious societal issue.Success in the fight against corruption requires streamlined cross-border information sharing, including declarations of foreign assets and beneficial ownership information for corporations and trusts. Civil society, e.g., NGOs and journalists, should be included in anti-corruption forums.
Authors
- Published in
- Canada
- Volume
- 70, No. 4
