by Peter Eigen, Chairman of Transparency International

The World Bank’s decision to undertake a Voluntary Disclosure Programme makes it even tougher for crooked officials to hide their dishonest activities in the shadows.

By providing businesses a safe haven in which to report corrupt officials, the non-adversarial process envisioned in the programme will serve as a forceful deterrent to further corruption.

The detailed information provided by contractors will reflect their first-hand knowledge of individual government officials involved in the perversion of the public interest. This information is crucial to ensure that the corruption is stopped.

By aggregating this information, governments can detect a pattern of weakness in country systems that can then be addressed.

View the World Bank article: “New World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz stresses results agenda in annual meetings speech”