Academy trains China's corruption fighters

China's high-profile campaign to bring back corporate fugitives from abroad is reverberating around the globe.

While the recent publication of the names, photos and addresses of 22 Chinese suspects in six Western countries have the unwitting hosts on the defensive, one global corruption fighter is lauding Beijing's efforts.

"China places special emphasis on cooperating with other countries, in particular those from the region, to bring to justice nationals who have committed corruption offenses," said Martin Kreutner, dean and executive secretary of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, a think tank headquartered in Laxenburg, Austria.

"The country's efforts thereon are generally in line with international anti-corruption conventions and norms, such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and other frameworks," Kreutner said in an email to China Daily.

The first institution of its kind, the academy was established in 2011 by the global police agency Interpol in collaboration with other international law enforcement organizations to provide a holistic approach to anti-corruption education.

China became a member in 2014.

The academy has been working closely with Chinese authorities to empower the country's anti-corruption experts and foster regional and international cooperation, Kreutner said.

"The IACA has also welcomed a number of Chinese participants in its programs and trainings over the years, including the annual IACA Summer Academy and the master's in anti-corruption studies."

The academy's initiatives comes at a time of unprecedented levels of corruption worldwide. It is estimated that trillions of dollars in ill-gotten wealth is pushed through the global financial system annually.

China, meanwhile, is continuing efforts to secure the repatriation of the 22 fugitives.

They are among 946 suspects the top anti-graft watchdog, the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, has said it is hunting abroad.

One country that has taken swift action in the wake of the Chinese crackdown is Australia.

It has promised to review visa rules for wealthy would-be migrants, who need to bring in a minimum of A$5 million ($3.75 million) to become eligible for the program.

Reports say Chinese account for almost 90 percent of applicants in this category.

Other countries China believes the fugitives are hiding are the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Professor Vito Tanzi, a former director of the Fiscal Affairs Department at the International Monetary Fund, is an authority on issues related to corruption.

His pioneering study, Corruption Around the World: Causes, Consequences, Scope, and Cures, was published by the IMF in 1998.

When I asked him for his thoughts on stopping the tide of dirty money, Tanzi gave a frank assessment.

"The fact that some countries gain when people with large financial assets invest their money in them makes the fight against graft a difficult zero-sum game," he wrote in an email.

He noted that penalties and greater efforts to bring back violators can help, but are not likely to be sufficient.

"Making laws less complex and regulations more transparent and uniform would help," Tanzi added.

Contact the writer at abdul@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/05/2017 page2)