Corruption
The Justice Initiative works to combat high-level, transnational corruption, which drains resources from developing countries and fuels repression and violence.
We support a broad, global effort by Open Society to combat corruption in all its forms, with our legal efforts aimed largely at challenging international networks of corruption.
We seek to break through the complex financial and legal structures used to conceal corrupt money flows, seeking prosecutions and the effective return of corruptly acquired assets. We also seek new approaches that expand the reach of the law, such as holding corporate actors accountable for the war crime of pillage, or using human rights law to challenge corruption’s impact on economic, social, and political rights.
How Mozambicans Shoulder the Burdens of Corruption
While substantial progress has been made in identifying those involved in Mozambique's debt scandal, more must be done to secure a fair outcome for every day citizens.
Swiss Criminal Investigation Targets War Crime of Pillage
Swiss prosecutors are investigating the alleged illegal trade of minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following a complaint filed by TRIAL International and the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Legal Remedies for Grand Corruption
This collection of essays explores how civil society groups have been taking innovative legal approaches to hold to account those responsible for high-level corruption, and looks at possible new strategies for the future.
Cases
Yenina Esther Martínez Esquivia v. Colombia
Former Colombian delegate prosecutor Yenina Esther Martínez Esquivia has filed a petition before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights concerning her removal in 2004 after Martínez Esquivia ignored her superior’s orders to prematurely close a corruption investigation.
Magnitsky v. Russia
Sergei Magnitsky died in pretrial detention in Russia after being denied essential medical care, in retaliation for exposing a $230m fraud involving senior Interior Ministry officials.
APDHE v. Obiang Family
This case before a Spanish court involves massive sums of money allegedly diverted by the President of Equatorial Guinea to buy property in Spain and the Canary Islands for his family.
Recent work
Case Watch: A Mother’s Search for Her Son Leads to Groundbreaking Decision on Disappearances in Mexico
In a major victory for the hundreds of disappeared people and their loved ones in Mexico, the nation’s highest court recognized the mandatory nature of urgent actions issued by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
Dutch Appeals Court Affirms Misconduct by TMF Management B.V. in Mozambique “Hidden Debt Scandal”
The ruling demonstrates an increase in scrutiny of under-regulated sovereign debt markets in the Global South, and comes at a time when many countries are experiencing heightened pressure to recover from the COVID-19 crisis by borrowing money.
In fighting COVID-19, Sierra Leone Should Learn from Ebola Mistakes
As Sierra Leone works to contain the pandemic, there has not yet been a proper reckoning for the high-level corruption that tainted the country's ultimately successful battle against Ebola.
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