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Tourism Australia staff caught spending $140k of taxpayers' money on personal travel

<p>Three Tourism Australia employees have been fired after spending $137,441 of taxpayers' money for personal travel expenses, with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) called in to investigate.  </p> <p>Tourism Australia is the government agency in charge of promoting Australia's tourism industry abroad. </p> <p>Tourism Australia chief executive Phillipa Harrison appeared before a Senate committee in Canberra on Tuesday and confirmed the breach of the agency’s travel policy. </p> <p>The spending  had been uncovered in October 2023 when the agency's own staff detected the misuse of funds and “immediately reported and escalated” it. </p> <p>“The three employees undertook personal travel that was booked through Tourism Australia’s corporate travel agent and was invoiced to Tourism Australia,” she told the committee. </p> <p>“Tourism Australia demanded that the three individuals repay the full amount of this travel.”</p> <p>She added that the full amount was repaid to Tourism Australia last December, and the three employees have since been sacked. </p> <p>Harrison also said that Deloitte was hired to do an extensive audit dating back to 2021 “to ensure that we understood the full extent of the issue” but “no further instances of wrongdoing were identified”.</p> <p>“Off the back of the audit I have overseen a strengthening of our travel policy processes to ensure the conduct cannot be repeated,” she said.</p> <p>Tourism Australia have referred the matter to the NACC and are awaiting a response. </p> <p>When asked by New South Wales Nationals senator Ross Cadell about the identities of the staff and whether the agency's chief financial officer was among those involved, she replied: "The NACC has advised me that I'm unable to provide the further details on the roles and the people involved until they have finished their investigations." </p> <p>"To do so may compromise current or potential investigations, and prematurely impact the reputations of individuals in circumstances where the legislation enacted by parliament intends to avoid that by requiring that investigations, generally, be conducted in private and that information concerning them is not to be disclosed."</p> <p>She took a question on notice about how many trips were booked by the staff and the destinations for the travel. </p> <p>Her refusal to answer the questions caught the senator off-guard and he said: “I am shooketh, shaken, by not being able to ask these questions,” before calling a short suspension to discuss the concerns. </p> <p>On return, she officially claimed “public interest immunity” and was told she had to outline the situation in writing. </p> <p>"I have to say, this is the first time in my experience where a direction from the NACC has directed an official not to make a public statement," Tourism and Trade Minister Don Farrell said. </p> <p>"This does present some significant issues which I myself would like to get clarified.</p> <p>"You and I both voted for this legislation and obviously this is how it's being applied. The witness, obviously, has to comply with the direction of the NACC, she has no choice."</p> <p>The matter has not been referred to authorities. </p> <p><em>Image: Tourism Australia/ news.com.au</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Property tycoon sentenced to death over $27 billion fraud

<p>A Vietnamese billionaire was sentenced to death on Thursday in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, an estimated $27 billion in damages - a figure equivalent to six percent of the country’s 2023 GDP. </p> <p>Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, was found guilty of embezzlement, after looting from one of the country's biggest banks, Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) for over a decade. </p> <p>“The defendant’s actions... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the (Communist) Party and state,” the verdict read at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. </p> <p>After a five-week trial, 85 others were also charged for their involvement in the fraud, with charges ranging from from bribery and abuse of power to appropriation and violations of banking law. </p> <p>Four were given life imprisonment, while others received jail terms ranging between 20 years and three years suspended. Lan's husband was Hong Kong billionaire Eric Chu Nap Kee, was sentenced to nine years in prison.</p> <p>Lan and the others were arrested as part of a national corruption crackdown.</p> <p>Lan was initially believed to have embezzled $12.5 billion, but on Thursday prosecutors have said that the total damages caused by the fraud now amounted to $27 billion. </p> <p>The property tycoon was convicted of taking out $44bn in loans from the bank, according to the <em>BBC</em>, with prosecutors saying that $27 billion of this may never be recovered. </p> <p>The court ordered Lan to to pay almost the entire damages sum in compensation. </p> <p>It is also <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68778636" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that she is one of very few women in Vietnam to be sentenced to death for a white collar crime. </p> <p>“In my desperation, I thought of death,” Lan said in her final remarks to the court, according to state media. </p> <p>“I am so angry that I was stupid enough to get involved in this very fierce business environment -- the banking sector -- which I have little knowledge of.”</p> <p>Police have identified around 42,000 victims of the scam, and many of them were unhappy with the verdict. </p> <p>One 67-year-old Hanoi resident told the AFP that she had hoped Lan would receive a life sentence so she could fully witness the devastating impact of her actions. </p> <p>“Many people worked hard to deposit money into the bank, but now she’s received the death sentence and that’s it for her,” they said. </p> <p>“She can’t see the suffering of the people.”</p> <p>The resident has so far been unable to retrieve the $120,000 she invested with SCB. </p> <p>Police have said that many of the victims are SCB bondholders, who cannot withdraw their money and have not received interest or principal payments since Lan’s arrest. </p> <p>Authorities have also reportedly seized over 1000 properties belonging to Lan. </p> <p><em>Image: Twitter</em></p> <p> </p>

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"Serious corrupt conduct": Gladys report handed down

<p>After an almost three-year saga, a corruption probe has found Gladys Berejiklian and her former boyfriend engaged in "serious corrupt conduct". </p> <p>The former NSW premier and her former lover disgraced MP Daryl Maguire were slammed in the damning report, released by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Thursday, for keeping their relationship secret. </p> <p>ICAC found Ms Berejiklian breached public trust between 2016 to 2017 by failing to disclose her five-year relationship with Mr Maguire, which the watchdog found could have had the “potential to influence the performance of her public duty”.</p> <p>The inquiry was tasked with determining whether Ms Berejiklian breached public trust through her decision-making during her secret relationship with disgraced MP Daryl Maguire, and in handing down the report, it was announced the 600-page document makes “serious corrupt findings” against both Ms Berejiklian and her former lover.</p> <p>One of the main points of the probe found that Ms Berejiklian breached public trust by awarding a $5.5 million grant to the Australian Clay Target Association (ACTA), and a $10m grant for the renovation of the Riverina Conservatorium of Music (RCM), while she was in a “close personal relationship” with Daryl Maguire.</p> <p>ICAC found the funding was “influenced” by her relationship with Mr Maguire, and Ms Berejiklian’s “desire ... to maintain or advance that relationship”</p> <p>The corruption watchdog also found Ms Berejiklian failed to notify ICAC of her suspicion that Mr Maguire “had engaged in activities which concerned, or might have concerned, corrupt conduct”.</p> <p>Ms Berejiklian has released a short statement about the findings, saying "Serving the people of NSW was an honour and privilege. At all times I have worked my hardest in the public interest. Nothing in this report demonstrates otherwise."</p> <p>"Thank you to members of the public for their incredible support. This will sustain me always."</p> <p>"The report is currently being examined by my legal team."</p> <p>ICAC did not refer Ms Berejiklian’s actions to the DPP for potential prosecution, however the report said “consideration should be given to obtaining the advice of the DPP about the prosecution of Mr Maguire”.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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“No option”: Bombshell Gladys resignation amid anti-corruption probe

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced her resignation, following the revelation she was under investigation by the state’s corruption watchdog.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Berejiklian is being investigated by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to determine whether there was a conflict of interest between her public duties and private life while she was in a relationship with former MP Daryl Maguire.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It pains me to announce but I have no option but to resign from the office of Premier,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters at Friday’s press conference.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Standing aside is not an option for me as Premier of NSW.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The people of the state need certainty as to who their leader is during the challenging time of the pandemic.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While reading from a prepared statement, Ms Berejiklian said she regretted leaving during the pandemic, but was left with no alternative following the announcement from ICAC.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.0304449648712px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844573/gladys-abc.jpeg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9871d1da82be473bbe96d8e182a9ccec" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: ABC News / YouTube</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“My resignation as Premier could not occur at a worse time but the timing is completely outside my control as the ICAC has chosen to take this action during the most challenging weeks of the most challenging time of the state’s history,” she <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-01/icac-investigating-gladys-berejiklian-daryl-maguire/100506956" target="_blank">said</a>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Resigning at this time is against every instinct of my being and something I do not want to do.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Berejiklian also announced she would be resigning from Parliament and would step down as soon as a by-election could be held.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She denied involvement in any corrupt conduct while in Parliament.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I have always acted with the highest level of integrity,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I have absolutely no regrets during my time in public life.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“My only regret will be not to be able to finish the job to ensure the people of NSW transition to living with COVID.”</span></p> <p><strong>ICAC investigates corruption claims</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The premier confirmed she was in a relationship with Mr Maguire during an ICAC hearing last year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the new investigation, Ms Berejiklian will be questioned about grants awarded to community organisations in Wagga Wagga in 2012, when Mr Maguire was the local member for the area.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hearings are expected to run for 10 days, and will examine whether the premier breached public trust by failing to report anything in relation to her relationship with Mr Maguire at the time which may constitute corrupt conduct.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ICAC will also investigate whether Mr Maguire used his membership of the NSW Parliament to the benefit of himself and his associates.</span></p> <p><strong>Meet the potential candidates</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Berejiklian remains Premier until the Liberal Party decides on her successor, and some members have already announced they will put their names forward for the job.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844571/rob-stokes.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/3508b2061fdd4ca894f673a9d27e020d" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @robstokesmp / Instagram</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Planning Minister Rob Stokes has announced that he will contest for leadership, having run against Ms Berejiklian following Mike Baird’s resignation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is understood that Mr Stokes would be prepared to nominate himself for the position when the party room meets to elect the new Premier on Tuesday.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844569/dom-perrottet.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/19987bb8387f401d9c06636b111bb539" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @dom.perrottet / Instagram</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is also believed to be a frontrunner to replace Ms Berejiklian, though he is yet to announce whether he will.</span></p> <p><img id="__mcenew" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844568/constance.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f08dd422ed324ddda6a71cf48025de81" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stuart Ayres (left) and Andrew Constance (right) are also potential contenders for the premiership. Image: Instagram</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other potential candidates <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/perrottet-and-stokes-emerge-as-frontrunners-for-nsw-premier-20211001-p58whc.html" target="_blank">include</a> Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres and Transport Minister Andrew Constance.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Why some people are willing to challenge bullying, corruption and bad behavior even at personal risk

<p>Utah Senator Mitt Romney voted in February to convict President Donald Trump on the charge of abuse of power, becoming the first senator ever to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/2/5/21125118/mitt-romney-impeachment-vote-history">vote against his own party’s president in an impeachment trial</a>.</p> <p>Two Theranos employees – Erika Cheung and Tyler Shultz – <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/549478/bad-blood-by-john-carreyrou/">spoke out about their concerns</a> regarding the company’s practices, even though they knew they could face lasting personal and professional repercussions.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html">Actors Ashley Judd</a> <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/12/harvey-weinstein-moment-of-reckoning-silence-breakers-ashley-judd-rose-mcgowen-1202803517/">and Rose McGowan</a> came forward to report <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/24/us/harvey-weinstein-trial-verdict/index.html">Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment and assault</a>, despite his threats to ruin their careers if they did so.</p> <p>All of these people spoke up to call out bad behavior, even in the face of immense pressure to stay silent. Although the specifics of each of these cases are quite different, what each of these people share is a willingness to take action. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-dCo5lYAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">Psychologists like me</a> describe those who are willing to defend their principles in the face of potentially negative social consequences such as disapproval, ostracism and career setbacks as “moral rebels.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674241831">Moral rebels</a> speak up in all types of situations – to tell a bully to cut it out, to confront a friend who uses a racist slur, to report a colleague who engages in corporate fraud. What enables someone to call out bad behavior, even if doing so may have costs?</p> <p><strong>The traits of a moral rebel</strong></p> <p>First, moral rebels generally <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2015.1012765">feel good about themselves</a>. They tend to have high self-esteem and to feel confident about their own judgment, values and ability. They also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209346170">believe their own views are superior</a> to those of others, and thus that they have a social responsibility to share those beliefs.</p> <p>Moral rebels are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2015.10.002">less socially inhibited than others</a>. They aren’t worried about feeling embarrassed or having an awkward interaction. Perhaps most importantly, they are far less concerned about conforming to the crowd. So, when they have to choose between fitting in and doing the right thing, they will probably choose to do what they see as right.</p> <p>Research in neuroscience reveals that people’s ability to stand up to social influence is reflected in anatomical differences in the brain. People who are more concerned about fitting in show <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.01.012">more gray matter volume in one particular part of the brain</a>, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex. This area right behind your eyebrows creates memories of events that led to negative outcomes. It helps guide you away from things you want to avoid the next time around – such as being rejected by your group.</p> <p>People who are more concerned about conforming to their group also show <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.12.035">more activity in two other brain circuits</a>; one that responds to social pain – like when you experience rejection – and another that tries to understand others’ thoughts and feelings. In other words, those who feel worst when excluded by their group try the hardest to fit in.</p> <p>What does this suggest about moral rebels? For some people, feeling like you’re different than everyone else feels really bad, even at a neurological level. For other people, it may not matter as much, which makes it easier for them to stand up to social pressure.</p> <p>These characteristics are totally agnostic as to what the moral rebel is standing up for. You could be the lone anti-abortion voice in your very liberal family or the lone abortion rights advocate in your very conservative family. In either scenario it’s about standing up to social pressure to stay silent – and that pressure of course could be applied about anything.</p> <p><strong>The path of a moral rebel</strong></p> <p>What does it take to create a moral rebel?</p> <p>It helps to have <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-08753-003">seen moral courage in action</a>. Many of the civil rights activists who participated in marches and sit-ins in the southern United States in the 1960s had parents who displayed moral courage and civic engagement, as did many of the Germans who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. Watching people you look up to show moral courage can inspire you to do the same.</p> <p>A budding moral rebel also needs to feel empathy, imagining the world from someone else’s perspective. Spending time with and really getting to know people from different backgrounds helps. White high school students who had more contact with people from different ethnic groups – in their neighborhood, at school and on sports teams – have higher levels of empathy and see people from different minority groups in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12053">more positive ways</a>.</p> <p>These same students are more likely to report taking some action if a classmate uses an ethnic slur, such as by directly challenging that person, supporting the victim or telling a teacher. People who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-010-9109-1">more empathetic</a> are also more likely to defend someone who is being bullied.</p> <p>Finally, moral rebels need particular skills and practice using them. One study found that teenagers who <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01682.x">held their own in an argument with their mother</a>, using reasoned arguments instead of whining, pressure or insults, were the most resistant to peer pressure to use drugs or drink alcohol later on. Why? People who have practiced making effective arguments and sticking with them under pressure are better able to use these same techniques with their peers.</p> <p>Moral rebels clearly have particular characteristics that enable them to stand up for what’s right. But what about the rest of us? Are we doomed to be the silent bystanders who meekly stand by and don’t dare call out bad behavior?</p> <p>Fortunately, no. It is possible to develop the ability to stand up to social pressure. In other words, anyone can learn to be a moral rebel.<!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/catherine-a-sanderson-1126074"><em>Catherine A. Sanderson</em></a><em>, Poler Family Professor and Chair of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/amherst-college-2155">Amherst College</a></em></span></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-why-some-people-are-willing-to-challenge-bullying-corruption-and-bad-behavior-even-at-personal-risk-140829">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

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It’s the luxuries that give it away: To fight corruption, follow the goods

<p>There is disquiet about the French owners of the luxury brands Luis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Givenchy and Gucci giving a whopping €300 million to the rebuilding of Notre Dame Cathedral. Such largesse, critics say, could be better used for humanitarian causes.</p> <p>This is more than a rhetorical point. It is almost certain that some of the profits made by all sellers of luxury goods come from criminals who have siphoned off government funds. Rather than being spent on health, education and other social welfare programs, the money has been spent on luxury goods.</p> <p>Luxury goods are used to facilitate corrupt transactions and launder dirty money. Using data for 32 high-income and emerging economies, we have found a strong correlation between luxury item expenditure and societal corruption.</p> <p>Our findings confirm previous research, such as luxury car sales being substantially higher in OECD countries with higher perceived corruption levels.</p> <p>We are not saying that luxury brands are doing anything criminal. Nonetheless they could make a great gift to the world by pitching in to build the institutional architecture needed to combat corruption.</p> <p><strong>Corrupt figures</strong></p> <p>Anecdotal evidence of the connection between corruption and luxury items is easy to find.</p> <p>Right now, Malaysia’s former prime minister, Najib Razak, is on trial over the looting of billions of dollars from government accounts. Police raided his multiple homes and collected 280 boxes of luxury items estimated to be worth more than US$270 million. This included 12,000 pieces of jewellery worth up to US$220 million, 423 watches worth US$19.3 million and 567 handbags worth more than US$10 million.</p> <p>Last year, Brazilian customs officials found luxury watches worth an estimated US$15 million in the bags of the entourage of Teodorin Obiang, vice-president of Equatorial Guinea. The son of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president since 1979, he was convicted of corruption by a French court in 2017.</p> <p>Swiss authorities seized his fleet of luxury cars, including a Koenigsegg One:1 (one of just seven built, worth US$2 million) in 2016. The same year Dutch authorities seized his US$120 million super-yacht at the request of a Swiss court.</p> <p>Equatorial Guinea, meanwhile, ranks 141 out of 189 nations on the UN’s Human Development Index.</p> <p>The list goes on and on. When the Viktor Yanukovych was deposed as Ukrainian president in 2014, for example, his palatial home revealed wealth far in excess of his official income. So too did the home of his attorney-general, Viktor Pshonka, which included a nest of Fabergé eggs.</p> <p><strong>Calculating the correlation</strong></p> <p>Our analysis covers all countries for which annual data on luxury spending per capita are obtainable, from 2004 to 2014. The sample includes the major emerging economies (Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa) and major high-income countries (US, Japan and Germany). Collectively the 32 sample countries represent about 85% of the world’s GDP.</p> <p>We have cross-referenced these data with two corruption measures: the World Bank’s Control of Corruption Index, and Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.</p> <p>Our calculations make allowances for variables such as relative wealth and spending by tourists. Greater spending on luxury goods is to be expected in richer nations and in international travel hubs such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. We have also controlled for factors such as inequality, with demand for luxury goods increasing as the income gap widens.</p> <p>Our results suggest stronger anti-corruption controls reduce luxury spending. More press freedom and information transparency help too, presumably because this increases the chance of corruption being exposed.</p> <p><strong>Conspicuous consumption</strong></p> <p>In countries where paying bribes to government officials to secure government contracts or operating licences is common practice, luxury goods are often used instead of direct monetary payments. Such “gifts” do not leave a transaction trail so are less likely to result in legal action against corrupt officials.</p> <p>Another explanation for the link between corruption and luxury spending is that corrupt individuals send signals about their “services” by demonstrating a lavish lifestyle beyond their official source of income. It is a form of conspicuous consumption – buying something not for its intrinsic utility but as a signal to others.</p> <p>Transparency International notes in its 2017 report Tainted Treasures: Money Laundering Risks in Luxury Markets: “For individuals engaged in corruption schemes, the luxury sector is significantly attractive as a vehicle to launder illicit funds. Luxury goods, super yachts and stately homes located at upmarket addresses can also bestow credibility on the corrupt, providing a sheen of legitimacy to people who benefit from stolen wealth.”</p> <p><strong>Cleaning up the luxury market</strong></p> <p>We agree with Transparency International that laws, policies and practices to combat this connection are underdeveloped.</p> <p>Anti-corruption policies need to include monitoring luxury markets and developing regulations that increase transparency in luxury gifting.</p> <p>The merits of doing so are demonstrated by anti-corruption efforts in China. In 2012 the Chinese government initiated plans to track corruption by looking at luxury goods ownership. As a result, consumption of luxury goods fell from US$93.48 billion in 2011 to US$73.1 billion in 2014.</p> <p>There needs to be established global policies. The countries that host the largest luxury markets – China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and Britain – must also do more to ensure sellers of luxury goods follow due diligence and reporting requirements.</p> <p>In Britain, for example, Transparency International reports that auction houses (such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s) filed just 15 of the total 381,882 suspicious transaction reports made to law enforcement authorities in one year.</p> <p>In Antwerp, the largest diamond exchange in the world, suspicious transaction reports by precious stones dealers were totally lacking.</p> <p>Luxury goods dealers have too little motivation to ensure those buying their trinkets and toys are not using money gained corruptly.</p> <p>If the contribution of France’s luxury empires to rebuild one of Christendom’s most famous churches sparks a conversation about the problems of the luxury goods market and what can be done to to fight corruption, that will be a positive.</p> <p>More than one French icon is on the line.</p> <p><em>Written by Reza Tajaddini and Hassan F. Gholipour. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-the-luxuries-that-give-it-away-to-fight-corruption-follow-the-goods-113553">The Conversation.</a></em></p>

Money & Banking

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Prince William and the Queen named in corruption scandal

<p>Prince William and former British Prime Minister David Cameron have been embroiled in a football corruption scandal.</p> <p>The former Prime Minister and Prince William were in attendance of a meeting during which a vote-swapping deal between England and South Korea was discussed, according to an official report released on Tuesday night.</p> <p>FIFA released the full report produced by their chief ethics investigator Michael Garcia in 2014 after German newspaper Bild obtained a copy and started publishing parts of the report. </p> <p>The report disclosed the full extent of England’s fail bid to stage the 2018 World Cup, with England's football bosses going to great lengths to court FIFA executives, many of them now discredited.</p> <p>The Queen is also mentioned in the report after it emerged that officials discussed the possibility of arranging a meeting with the Queen for a FIFA representative whose vote could have helped England. One South American official asked for an honorary knighthood.</p> <p>The documents reveals Mr Cameron met FIFA vice president Mong-Joon Chung of South Korea in Prince William's suite at the Baur au lac Hotel in Zurich on the eve of the vote in December 2010. Mr Cameron reportedly asked the South Korean delegation to back England's bid. He was told that England would have to agree to support South Korea's bid to host the 2022 tournament. The report states cote-swapping deals are a “violation of the anti-collusions rules”.</p> <p>The report shows the full extent of English officials attempts to court FIFA vice-president and president of North, Central American and Caribbean football confederation Jack Warner.</p> <p>"England 2018's response shows an unfortunate willingness, time and again, to meet that expectation [of Mr Warner]," concludes the report.</p> <p>England’s bid was knocked out in the first round after receiving only two votes. </p>

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