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NZ launches world first anonymous reporting platform to combat foreign bribery
NZ launches world first anonymous reporting platform to combat foreign bribery

RNZ News

time15-05-2025

  • Business
  • RNZ News

NZ launches world first anonymous reporting platform to combat foreign bribery

Photo: Pixabay/shafin_protic The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has today launched a national campaign targeting foreign bribery. The SFO said the capaign aims to raise awareness and encourage reporting with the introduction of a new online platform for anonymous reporting of suspected foreign bribery. Reports will be received by specifically trained staff through a fully encrypted platform. All interactions between reporters and case handlers remain encrypted, with data being stored and safeguarded in European-based data centres. One of the most effective ways to detect these fraud cases is by whistleblowers according to the government department. Speaking at the launch event in Auckland, Police Minister Mark Mitchell, said the reporting tool will give them a better scope of where and how much money is being used in foreign bribery which authorities currently have a lack of data for. "I think the beauty about this tool is that it will start to build out that picture for us as a country, so that we actually start to capture some of the data, we get a feeling for how big the problem might be," Mitchell said. "This is a more sophisticated tool now to be able to use in terms of allowing people to come forward and share that information and give us that information around that. Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the reporting tool will give them a better scope of where and how much money is being used in foreign bribery. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel "I think too that we can't look past the deterrent factor, that if you run a big campaign on this and people become more aware and there's an awareness then that can have a positive impact on behaviour as well." The SFO said the online platform for anonymous reporting was the first of it's kind in the world in dealing with foreign bribery and was modelled from a similar system used by the Commerce Commission. The government department said foreign bribery distorts global markets and can take many forms. The SFO said examples of this include a New Zealand company paying a foreign official for market access, a bribe from an overseas company to a public official here, or kickbacks to a private sector employee by a foreign company. SFO director Karen Chang said one of the most effective ways to detect these cases is by whistleblowers. "Foreign bribery is notoriously difficult to detect, but if left unchecked, it undermines trust, transparency and fair competition. Our national advertising campaign and new reporting platform is a crucial step in making it easier and safer for people to come forward. "We know that anonymous reporting can be difficult in New Zealand's close-knit communities and professional networks." "We also recognise that foreign bribery is not widely understood as a crime type, that's why we are launching a national advertising campaign and investing in a platform that protects identities while allowing secure follow-up with our investigators. "Our message is simple: if you see something, report it. If you're unsure, get in touch anyway. We all have an interest in ensuring that business is conducted ethically and, in a way that enhances New Zealand's reputation as an attractive place to invest," said the SFO director. Karen Chang said the new campaign has taken onboard aspects from an OECD report last year which was critical about the lack of foreign bribery prosecutions and there not being a safe space for whistleblowers to report fraud. "This does build upon the OECD report, stepping up the visibility and public awareness. "But it also builds on the work that we've already been doing in this sphere and also in relation to our Pacific nations of the 15 languages. "A number of them are Pacific languages, such as Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Cook Islands Maori, and Hindi, and French as well, so we are alive to that and hoping that we can really raise the profile and recognition and bring those complaints in," she said.

Karen Webb's time as NSW police commissioner was not without controversy
Karen Webb's time as NSW police commissioner was not without controversy

ABC News

time07-05-2025

  • Politics
  • ABC News

Karen Webb's time as NSW police commissioner was not without controversy

As the first woman to lead the New South Wales Police Force, Karen Webb has been described as a "true trailblazer" and a "force for change and reform". But her leadership was not without controversy and her resignation was something her enemies within the force and critics in the media had been calling for almost since she won the top job. She took over as commissioner from Mick Fuller in February 2022 after fierce competition for the role — with candidates including Mick Willing and Mal Lanyon. Commissioner Webb, 55, had risen through the ranks since joining NSW Police in 1987. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb had the support of the Minns government during her tenure. ( ABC News: Warwick Ford ) She became the first woman to lead the Traffic and Highway Patrol before being promoted to assistant commissioner in 2017 and deputy commissioner in 2021. Upon becoming commissioner she pledged to focus on children as well as victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Under her leadership police established the domestic and family violence register and an anonymous sexual assault reporting system. She also Commissioner Webb recently announced an independent review into police culture after an Controversies and criticism Paying tribute in parliament as she announced the commissioner's impending retirement, Police Minister Yasmin Catley said: "When others would be happy to stick with the status quo, Karen Webb has strived for more". "She is a true trailblazer." But Commissioner Webb had only been in the job for just over a year when she became mired in controversy over her handling of the tasering death of 95-year-old Clare Nowland by police officer Kristian White at a Cooma nursing home. She was accused of a lack of transparency around the initial police response after the first statement omitted any mention of the taser being used. The commissioner has attracted criticism from sections of the media. ( ABC News: Ethan Rix ) After initially failing to front the media for three days after the incident, Commissioner Webb then tried to defend the decision not to provide that detail, saying police had to wait until Ms Nowland's family was notified. When it later emerged her immediate family had already been told, Commissioner Webb famously told reporters that "hindsight is a wonderful thing". She was also at the centre of a storm over her handling of the murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies by off-duty police officer Beau Lamarre Condon. Commissioner Webb initially delayed speaking publicly about the case and then described it as a "crime of passion". When later pressed on that decision, she responded with a reference to the lyrics of pop song Shake It Off, by saying: "There will always be haters. Haters gonna hate — isn't that what Taylor Swift says?" Karen Webb joined revellers at the 2025 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. ( ABC News: Victoria Pengilley ) It sparked an angry backlash in the LGBTQIA+ community and a fierce debate over whether police should march in the Mardi Gras parade that year. In the end Commissioner Webb led police in the march, but not in uniform. She came under pressure again last year after independent upper house MP Rod Roberts claimed she had used taxpayer money to buy more than 100 gift bottles of gin. Under pressure to resign NSW Police officer Inspector Amy Scott (second from left) and Police Commissioner Karen Webb (left) lay flowers at the anniversary memorial of the Bondi Junction stabbing. ( AAP: Dean Lewins ) In recent months, segments of the media including commentator Ray Hadley, had been calling for her resignation. As recently as January, Commissioner Webb denied reports she was considering an early retirement. During her time in the job, Commissioner Webb oversaw the response to the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing, the Wakeley riots and the Dural caravan discovery which was initially thought to be a terrorist plot targeting a Jewish synagogue. She recently told a parliamentary inquiry that she suspected the motivations behind the plot "early on", but rejected assertions she should have advised Premier Chris Minns not to rush new hate speech laws through parliament when she believed the plot to be a hoax.

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