Partners in Crime: Behind the investigation into the abuse of LLPs by Transparency International UK

With countries like the UK and the US having anti-bribery laws and generally strong governance standards – some think that corruption is a problem for ‘somewhere else’.

That’s also because corruption is hidden behind a veil of corporate opacity, often through legal entities acting as getaway vehicles instead of legitimate businesses. 

But just how widespread is the abuse of companies as an enabler for corruption? 

In this episode, we hear from Transparency International UK about the scale of abuse of Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) in the UK, as evidenced in their recent Partners in Crime report, and discuss how data and legislation work together to help fight corruption.

Topics

• Scale of the problem – including how the report found that more than 1 in 10 LLPs ever incorporated show money laundering red flags
  
  
• How the investigation was conducted
  
  
• Role that company data, including OpenCorporates’ data, plays in exposing corruption
  
  
• What’s needed in order to put a stop to the abuse of companies in the UK?
  
  
• Will the Economic Crime & Transparency Bill currently going through the UK Parliament live up to expectations and help prevent the abuse of companies?

Speakers

• Steve Goodrich, Head of Research & Investigations, Transparency International UK 
  
  
• Rebecca Lee, Chief Impact Officer, OpenCorporates