I got this email last night from the World Bank:
The first global study of financial disclosure laws and practices, “Public Office, Private Interests: Accountability through Income and Asset Disclosure” calls for renewed commitment to income and asset disclosure to deter the use of public office for private gain and to help manage actual and apparent conflicts of interest in the public sector. Disclosure by public officials of their income, assets and interests should be mandated if the fight against corruption is to succeed, according to this study, released today by the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative of the World Bank and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Read more
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A superb idea, indeed, Richard, and good to see the World Bank embracing it. As someone who has written about this in the past – and as with any reader of Private Eye – continue to read about regular examples of people abusing their public office to support or promote private gain, I’d fully endorse this, and particularly your suggestion it should apply for a period after leaving public office. Not sure I’d go for ten years though. Five would be sufficient I think.
I would go further with former office holders. Anyone that makes money after leaving office purely on the basis of having being in office, should have to pay towards any benefits they receive post office. In this respect I think of Tony Blair making millions whilst taxpayers foot the bill for round the clock police protection.