The anti-corruption efforts of countries around the world often focus on smaller-scale corruption. While this activity is not insignificant, countries are being urged to prioritise combatting “grand corruption”, which has the most devastating impact on society.
The International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC) provides vital intelligence support in grand corruption investigations and helps to facilitate international law enforcement cooperation. This article explores the issue of grand corruption and the work of the IACCC.
What is grand corruption?
Grand corruption includes acts of corruption by senior public officials that involve vast quantities of assets and that threaten political stability and sustainable development.
Acts that might fall into this category include bribery of public officials, embezzlement, abuse of function or the laundering of the proceeds of crime.
Key threats and challenges
According to Transparency International, the large-scale misappropriation of public funds that occurs as part of grand corruption significantly reduces the budget available for improving education, infrastructure, and standards of living.
There are significant challenges in combatting grand corruption such as difficulties in bringing high-level officials and their associates to justice, and dangers for investigators, judges, prosecutors and whistleblowers. Transparency International makes several recommendations to address these challenges, one of which is to improve international cooperation.
The IACCC plays a critical role in facilitating the international cooperation required to effectively combat grand corruption.
How does the IACCC help to combat grand corruption?
The IACCC brings together specialist law enforcement officers from multiple agencies to coordinate the global law enforcement response to allegations of grand corruption. The centre provides five key functions:
- Inform law enforcement agencies that refer allegations of grand corruption to the IACCC which organisations and initiatives can offer assistance.
- Assist law enforcement agencies with practical actions and advice to progress grand corruption investigations.
- Collect and disseminate information of grand corruption to law enforcement agencies of the affected states.
- Coordinate the global law enforcement response to allegations of grand corruption.
- Collaborate with law enforcement agencies to create a constructive, cooperative and agreed approach to allegations of grand corruption.
Any law enforcement agency investigating allegations of grand corruption may contact the IACCC to establish if they hold any relevant information or can assist in any way. Contact can be made through any of the IACCC participant law enforcement agencies.
While the IACCC may provide information and assistance, it states that it does not affect the sovereignty or interfere in the domestic investigations of other countries.
The IACCC’s work in action
As an example of the centre’s work in action, in 2018 the IACCC provided vital intelligence support to progress nine grand corruption investigations, and two senior officials were arrested as a result of IACCC support. During 2018, the IACCC also identified and disseminated intelligence of:
- 227 suspicious bank accounts found within 15 different jurisdictions.
- Approximately £51 million of worldwide suspicious assets.
Who participates in the IACCC?
Participant agencies of the IACCC represent the countries that committed to designing and establishing the IACCC at the Anti-Corruption Summit in 2016.
The current participants in the IACCC are:
- UK’s National Crime Agency.
- US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- USA’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
- Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau of the Republic of Singapore.
- Australian Federal Police (AFP).
- New Zealand’s Serious Fraud Office and New Zealand Police.
Key takeaways
Grand corruption adversely impacts sustainable development in societies around the world. Due to the challenges involved in combatting this pervasive threat, there is an increasing need for effective international law enforcement cooperation. The International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC) plays a critical role in facilitating this international cooperation and has achieved significant results in its grand corruption investigations.
