To mark International Anti-Corruption Day, Transparency International (TI) Ireland held an online panel discussion to assess the current state of data access in Ireland and its impact on the role of journalists, academics and civil society organisations in exposing corruption and wider economic crime.
Access to quality data is not only a technical issue; it is vital to the functioning of a healthy democracy and a trustworthy business environment. Around the world, company filings, beneficial ownership data, interest declarations, court reports and procurement records are used by journalists, academics and civil society organisations to expose corruption, fraud and money laundering. Such information can often be fragmented, costly, inconsistent, or restricted by legal and administrative barriers. Indeed, in the Irish and European contexts, reduced access to beneficial ownership registers and limits on ownership data have raised concerns of a deterioration in transparency. Yet international standards – from the latest EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive (‘AMLD6’) to UN governance and transparency principles – increasingly recognise the importance of data access not only to identify corruption and economic crime but also to increase accountability and public scrutiny more widely.
This TI Ireland event discussed the current state of access to financial, corporate, legal and procurement datasets in Ireland and the wider EU, demonstrating the key role played by the media, academia and civil society in using such information to expose corruption and increase accountability. In particular, the panel provided:
- An overview of asset ownership and beneficial ownership transparency across the EU, highlighting common trends and barriers to data access, as well as relevant policy developments
- A summary of key data gaps in Ireland, including specific deficiencies in the areas of beneficial ownership, ship registration, Limited Partnerships and Special Purpose Entities
- Reflections on the day-to-day experiences of investigative journalists in Ireland in accessing different corporate, legal, financial, procurement and other datasets
- Case studies showing how financial and legal data is used in ground-breaking academic research into complex and transnational illicit financial flows
The panellists were:
- Alice Chambers, investigative reporter and Business Correspondent at The Currency
- Alexander Chance, PhD, Head of Policy and Research at TI Ireland
- John Devitt, Chief Executive of TI Ireland and member of the Advisory Council on Economic Crime and Corruption
- Lois Kapila, Deputy Editor and Reporter at the Dublin Inquirer
- Kristian Lasslett, Professor of Criminology at Ulster University and board member of the International State Crime Initiative
- Katherine Wilkins, PhD, Policy & Advocacy Coordinator on Corrupt Money Flows at Transparency International, Berlin
A recording of the event can be accessed via this link.
This event formed part of Transparency International’s STEP-EU project on tackling complex and cross-border corruption and money laundering across the EU, which is supported by the European Commission.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or DG JUST. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.