UK anti-fraud head explores partnership with Philippine gov’t

MANILA, Philippines—The director of the lead anti-fraud office in the United Kingdom is exploring a possible partnership with the Philippine government to help improve transparency and reduce the incidence of corruption in the country.

“The Philippines is doing many good things. There is a strong top-level commitment to good governance in the Philippines, led by President Aquino. Without that commitment, it wouldn’t be possible to eradicate corruption and get people out of poverty,” said Richard Alderman, director of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the agency in the UK responsible for complex investigations and prosecutions relating to fraud and overseas corruption.

In a statement, the British Embassy in Manila said that Alderman is in Manila this week to share the UK’s best practices in combating economic crime such as fraud and corruption and to explore possible joint work with local government agencies.

Alderman met with officials of the Bureau of Customs (BoC), Bureau of International Revenue (BIR), the Office of the Ombudsman and Sandiganbayan, and briefed them on the measures being implemented by the SFO.

Alderman stressed the need to have in place an adequate legal framework that can prevent and penalize acts of fraud.

He cited as an example the Bribery Act in UK, which he said was a key piece of legislation that takes a hard-line stance against corruption.

Enacted in 2010, the law punishes the act of offering a bribe, receiving a bribe and failing to prevent bribery.

Seen as one of the toughest anti-corruption measures in the world, the Bribery Act covers British firms operating abroad and foreign corporations, including Philippine firms, with operations in the United Kingdom.

This law ensures that corporations are able to compete on equal footing and to avoid losing out to competitors who resort to less ethical practices.

In the Philippines, Alderman said he sees the Freedom of Information Bill and the Anti-Money Laundering Act as vital measures in promoting transparency.

The next step for the Philippines in stamping out corruption is the prosecution of cases, which, according to Alderman, is a difficult process but an important one for the government to show that it is serious in tackling fraud.

“We have been bringing cases before the courts that have shown that enforcement is real. It has sent a real signal to corporations and government agencies that we will enforce the law against them. And the impact has been great. It will take time, but I have no doubt the Philippines will see that too,” he said.—Amy R. Remo