A year rocked by corruption scandals
From the Panama Papers to the impeachments of the presidents, 2016 has been a year marked by scandals and rising public outrage over graft
Panama City — From the Panama Papers to the impeachments of the presidents of Brazil and South Korea, 2016 was a year marked by corruption scandals, and by rising public outrage over graft. The question is, will that translate into a lasting demand for cleaner politics? "A new phenomenon" is being seen, said Jose Ugaz, a Peruvian lawyer and the chairman of Transparency International, a Berlin-based anticorruption watchdog, who expressed cautious optimism. "What we are facing today is very different to what we were facing 27 years ago", when Transparency International was founded. "Around the world we are seeing this kind of corruption that affects the people — and we are seeing a mobilisation of the people against it," he said. "I think it has been a difficult year — but at the same time it gives hope for the future." The Panama Papers leak in April — an unprecedented data dump — triggered much of the outrage early in 2016. Offshore companies used by many of the world’s famous, weal...
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