Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday hailed the United States President-elect Joe Biden’s intentions to go after dirty money and to bring transparency to the global financial system. “Developing countries are being impoverished by their corrupt elites who launder money to richer countries and offshore tax havens,” the premier wrote on Twitter while sharing an article written by Biden. Declaring his intentions in the Foreign Policy magazine, Biden said that he would “lead efforts internationally to bring transparency to the global financial system”.
“I will lead efforts internationally to bring transparency to the global financial system, go after illicit tax havens, seize stolen assets, and make it more difficult for leaders who steal from their people to hide behind anonymous front companies,” he wrote.He further said that one of his chief goals was to “rally our allies to combat corruption and kleptocracy, and to hold systems of authoritarian capitalism accountable for greater transparency and participation in a rules-based system.”
PM’s 9-point plan to combat corruption: Earlier in September, the prime minister made an impassioned appeal to the international community to take decisive action and work to prevent white collar criminals from “bleeding” developing countries dry.
In an address to the United Nations International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity (FACTI), PM Imran had said countries that such criminals view as “tax havens” must return wealth looted from developed countries.
“We welcome the interim report of the FACTI panel. The figures mentioned in the report are staggering,” said the premier.
He said that $1tn is taken out each year “by these white-collar criminals”.
“$20-40 billion is in the form of bribes received by these corrupt white-collar criminals,” PM Imran added.
He has also called upon the international community to “adopt decisive actions”, before proceeding to list 9 recommendations.
Moreover, the article also quotes Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan, saying that one of Biden’s top goals was to “rally our allies to combat corruption and kleptocracy, and to hold systems of authoritarian capitalism accountable for greater transparency and participation in a rules-based system.”
The prime minister’s support for Biden’s stance comes amid a movement of sorts being led against his incumbent government by opposition parties, some leaders and members of which are currently facing corruption charges.
However, the opposition claims it is being subjected to political victimization, and has resorted to holding rallies under an 11-party alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), in a bid to muster public support and oust the PM Imran Khan-led government.
Days earlier, on December 8, the PDM announced that all parliamentarians belonging to its constituent parties would submit their resignations from the national and provincial assemblies to their respective party chiefs by December 31 – finally opting for a last-ditch attempt to send the PTI-led government packing. On December 7, PM Imran had reiterated to his government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) spokespersons that he will not compromise on accountability.
“The opposition is endangering the lives of the people to save its corruption they don’t know me even if my government leaves, I will not compromise on accountability,” he had said.
