International aid groups in the U.K. are calling for greater coordination across government in its fight against corruption abroad.
U.K. Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening launched Monday the International Corruption Unit, only days after the Department for Business and Skills sought input from U.K. businesses on how current bribery legislation interferes with opportunities overseas.
The newly created ICU is a five-year, $33 million initiative to investigate corruption and bribery in priority countries, according to a statement from the Department for International Development, and will be “the central point for investigating international corruption in the U.K.” According to its mandate, the ICU will bring together “existing investigation and intelligence units funded by” DfID and will work with police to investigate international corruption, but makes no mention of other departments handling corruption overseas. It’s unclear how or whether DfID will become involved in the controversial application of the Bribery Act, which is typically overseen by the Ministry of Justice and the Serious Fraud Office.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.