ON THE MONEY TRAIL: Corruption in the news - Dec. 20

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa – South Africa’s African National Congress party has resolved to establish an integrity committee at both national and provincial levels to deal with party members accused of misconduct, Independent Online reports.

MONTREAL, Canada – The fight against corruption in the Canadian province of Quebec has sparked the interest of authorities in other provinces looking to root out fraud and similar illegal activities, the head of the province’s anti-corruption force said, according to The Toronto Star newspaper. Robert Lafrenière, who leads a team of police investigators, prosecutors and tax inspectors under the banner of the Unité Permanent Anti-Corruption, said he has fielded calls from others interested in how his squad operates.

SYDNEY – A network of allegedly corrupt customs officers at Sydney Airport has been importing drugs with organised crime figures for several years in one of Australia's most serious corruption scandals, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. At least 15 officials in Sydney Airport's border security posts are suspected of involvement in serious misconduct or corruption, ranging from criminal association and leaking information to drug trafficking, drug manufacturing, money laundering and bribery. The number may be as high as 20, the newspaper said.

TAIPEI – Taiwan’s former President Chen Shui-bian and his wife Wu Shu-jen were given 10 years and eight years in prison respectively, for taking bribes in the merger of Yuanta Securities and Fuhwa Financial Holding under a controversial second round of financial reforms, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reports. Chen, who is currently serving a 18.5-year imprisonment for corruption in other cases, would serve no more than 20 years in prison even with the new sentence, due to the maximum sentence prescribed in Taiwan's Criminal Code, the news agency said.