Disclosure by Politicians

2012

Information on which public officials are required to file asset disclosures and on what those disclosures contain can help in identifying politically exposed persons (PEPs), as required under the Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force. This paper analyzes how the information could be used in this way and provides a series of recommendations that can help support this use. J J To be useful for identifying PEPs, a list of public officials required to file asset disclosures needs to contain, at a minimum, the position held by each official, as this would help in determining whether the official is indeed a PEP. Including other identifying information-such as date of birth, national identification number, and information on family members-would further serve this purpose. J J Jurisdictions should consider designating an institution with clear responsibilities for compiling, maintaining, and updating the list of filers and sharing it with the relevant stakeholders.

2011

Ramon Llull Journal of Applied Ethics, 2018

During the preceding four decades, the "private" lives of politicians have been subjected to an increasing degree of public scrutiny; so much so that it might be argued that those pursuing or occupying elected office-especially senior positions (e.g., Cabinet ministers)-are often denied a degree of privacy commensurate with adequately respecting and protecting human dignity. In this essay I argue that, while politicians should not be expected to forsake all hope of privacy, the voluntary character of, and responsibilities attached to, elected political office, coupled with citizens' democratic right to choose their political representatives freely, renders it ethically legitimate for the "public" and many of the "private" elements of politicians' lives to receive a degree of public scrutiny that greatly exceeds that experienced by their fellow citizens.

Georgia State University Law Review, 2011

2008

Modern democracies require strong party organisations that compete for political power in fair elections. To keep the system functioning, political parties must have the resources to run successful campaigns and support political machines. But parties and their candidates also must reconcile the drive for resources with the risks of distorting political competition and corrupting elected officials. Depending on where they come from, how they are distributed and what they are spent on, resources given to parties and candidates can corrupt elections and democracies. Accountability and transparency in political finance w w w . t r a n s p ar e nc y. o r g TI Working Paper # 01/2008

U4 Issue, 2009

Election Law Journal, 2007