three-year transparency battle against Michael Gove’s department.
Can you help us keep fighting government secrecy?
Analysis carried out by openDemocracy has found that Coladangelo is one of at least 16 individuals with close ties to the Conservative Party to have been appointed as a non-executive director in Whitehall.
Labour’s shadow cabinet minister Angela Rayner accused ministers of “using every opportunity they can to do favours for their chums”, while transparency campaigners warned that the current system of non-executive director appointments “risks allowing political capture of whole government departments”.
Angela Rayner accused ministers of ‘using every opportunity they can to do favours for their chums’
Phnom Penh Post
One of Cambodia’s wealthiest families with close ties to Prime Minister Hun Sen late last year acquired a British payment services provider, Connectum Limited. That company generates millions of dollars in revenue each year, serving as an intermediary between small businesses and major credit card firms like Visa and MasterCard.
Heng Sokha, wife of former Transport Ministry secretary of state Ing Bun Hoaw, took ownership of Connectum in November 2020. Experts say that should raise red flags for British financial regulators.
For one thing, Heng Sokha’s spouse is a former lawmaker and top official who should be subjected to additional scrutiny over the sources of wealth because of his links to the Cambodian government that date back decades. Bun Hoaw has previously leveraged government connections for profitable enterprises such as collecting tolls on the U.S.-government-funded Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville highway.
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By Jack Davies and Sovannarith Keo
May 5, 2021
One of Cambodia’s wealthiest families with close ties to Prime Minister Hun Sen late last year acquired a British payment services provider, Connectum Limited. That company generates millions of dollars in revenue each year, serving as an intermediary between small businesses and major credit card firms like Visa and MasterCard.
Heng Sokha, wife of former Transport Ministry secretary of state Ing Bun Hoaw, took ownership of Connectum in November 2020. Experts say that should raise red flags for British financial regulators.
For one thing, Heng Sokha’s spouse is a former lawmaker and top official who should be subjected to additional scrutiny over the sources of wealth because of his links to the Cambodian government that date back decades. Bun Hoaw has previously leveraged government connections for profitable enterprises such as collecting tolls on the U.S.-government-funded Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville highway.
Launch of the UK’s independent anti-corruption sanctions regime is an important step forwards in tackling kleptocracy, says NGO coalition.
“Today’s announcement is an important achievement in the fight against corruption globally. The UK anti-corruption coalition welcomes the new sanctions regime and hopes to see the UK announce bold and ambitious designations against corrupt actors to become a leading voice in the fight against kleptocracy. The UK needs to make sure its own defences against corruption and money laundering are as robust as possible to give the regime maximum credibility. This should include introducing legislation on Companies House reform and on the foreign property ownership register at the earliest opportunity, as well as improving the regulation of standards in public office domestically in line with UN recommendations.” - UK Anti-Corruption Coalition (UKACC)